Female teachers across the country, through Taita Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma, protested an illegal monthly deduction from their salaries that has been in effect for five years.
Mwaruma presented the petition before the Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare noting that more than 171 female teachers had been affected by the deductions.
Further, the petition stated that the deductions were made through the Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) in collusion with the Teachers Service Commission(TSC).
The female teachers demanded that the deductions, indicated as subscription fees, be stopped immediately.
Additionally, they demanded that the sum of Ksh200 deducted every month since 2019, be refunded with interest as the money was taken without their consent.
“In their petition, the teachers stated that the Teachers Service Commission(TSC) had been colluding with KEWOTA to unlawfully deduct Ksh200 monthly subscription fees without their consent since 2019.
“The petitioners prayed that the committee would cause the deductions be stopped forthwith and all monies deducted be refunded with accruing interests,” noted a statement from the committee.
Additionally, the petitioners asked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to launch investigations into the association.
They asked the committee to compel KEWOTA to revert all their membership registration that had been done without the consent of the teachers.
"They also want TSC and KEWOTA to be investigated by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission and Director of Criminal Investigation(DCI) for economic crime.
"The teachers want to have the membership of KEWOTA declared null and void for lack of consent by members to belong to it and lastly advise KEWOTA to do a fresh membership recruitment drive which is within the law," added the statement.
In recent months, teachers have been asking for a pay rise arguing that it was important for the government to cushion them through the difficult economic times.
