KNUT Criticizes Triple Pension Deduction on Teachers Payslips, Blames TSC
Patrick Karinga Munuhe, the National Chairman of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), has vehemently expressed his opposition to a series of pension deductions that teachers have been subjected to.
Munuhe outlined the three types of pension deductions that have been implemented and criticized their effects on the teaching community.
According to Munuhe, the first type of pension deduction is the provident fund at a rate of 7.5%. The second type is a longstanding normal deduction. The third category, Munuhe explained, is the NNSSF (National Social Security Fund). He highlighted a critical issue concerning the leakage of teachers’ payslips.
Loan Access Barrier
“Our payslips are leaking.” Said the National Chairman.
Munuhe emphasized the far-reaching consequences of these deductions. He highlighted a concerning aspect of the one-third rule, which inhibits teachers from accessing loans from various saccos due to an inability to meet the stipulated threshold.
“None of these teachers can go get a loan in any one of our saccos because of the one-third rule; we cannot meet that threshold. We have a big problem.” He added that the situation has caused significant problems within the teaching profession.
As per Munuhe, the blame for these challenges is placed on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). He criticized the TSC for its lack of preparedness in handling any alterations to teachers’ payslips.
The people we are blaming are the Teachers Service Commission because of this misbehavior. Anything that is done to our payslips could have prepared the teachers.
Munuhe expressed the viewpoint that if the TSC had properly anticipated these changes and communicated them effectively to teachers, many of the issues could have been mitigated.
He went on to reveal that the situation at hand was a result of a projection made in 2023, which was later contested in court. Despite this legal challenge, the projection was eventually implemented in 2013, leading to the current predicament.
