TSC faces teachers wrath over renewed Kewota deductions

TSC faces teachers wrath over renewed Kewota deductions

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is facing accusations from a section of teachers who blame it for allowing backdoor deductions.

The teachers have taken the war to various social media platforms pointing their fingers at TSC.

This comes after the teachers experienced deductions on their payslips for three months now.

According to the female teachers who spoke to us, say they didn’t do anything to warrant such monthly deductions of ksh 200 from their payslip.

“I did not fill any form nor visit any Kewota office not even writing to the Commission asking to be deducted, so why am I getting this on my payslip which is already overloaded?” paused Petronilar Mwende, a victim of Kewota deductions.

The teachers said Kewota is being favoured by having its deductions booked on T-Pay portal as a loan without any documentation being scanned and uploaded.

Rumours has it that the female outfit, Kewota, is facing serious financial crisis and needs the Commission to bail it out from the murky waters.

In January 2020, at least 54 female teachers from Kiambu went to court over what they termed as ‘’illegal Kewota deductions’’ from their employer TSC.

They accused Kewota of not following the normal procedure of getting membership.

“After its formation Kewota raided the payslip even before its official launch. Were teachers supposed to fund all their activities including the launch?” Wondered one of the teachers.

In 2019 when Kewota had its first deductions, former Knut’s Secretary-General Wilson Sossion asked the EACC and the DCI to investigate officials at the TSC for allegedly colluding with Kewota to recruit teachers without their knowledge.

“It has come to our notice that the TSC has illegally executed check-off deductions of Sh200 per female teacher from 58,000 teachers who did not at all authorise their deductions,” Mr Sossion said in a letter to the agencies dated June 20.

Sossion accused the commission of auto-loaded programmes which automatically deduct the money, without the approval of the teachers and in collusion with Kewota officials.

Kuppet official, Moses Nturima, termed the move by TSC an economic crime.

“The deductions are illegal and constitute economic crimes against affected teachers on the part of the employer,” he said.

Kewota’s National Treasurer Jacinta Ndegwa, however denied the allegations, saying the teachers joined the union of their own volition.

“Teachers are joining the women’s lobby group without force. They are looking at the benefits,” said Ms Ndegwa.

After teachers unions Knut, Kuppet and Kusnet struck a deal with TSC in July last year that led to signing of CBA 2021-2025, teachers experienced deductions.

Teachers who initially were not Knut, Kuppet and Kusnet members started to pay for Agency fee. However Kewota was not part of the deal that led to signing of the CBA.

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