Union issues ultimatum on retired teachers’ pay

What you need to know:

  • Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said the union has been instructed by the retired teachers to demand prompt and immediate payment of their dues.
  • In March this year, Director of Pensions Shem Nyakutu was ordered jailed for 30 days by the Nakuru High Court for contempt.
  • Last year, the Teachers Service Commission indicated that its pensions department had processed claims for the retired teachers.

A teachers union has issued a notice to the director of pensions to pay retired teachers by July.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), in a letter to the director, said the government had already budgeted for the payout and that there was no reason to delay the payment.

“You are already aware that the High Court in Nakuru ordered payment of the dues and the money to be paid has been set aside in previous budgets in readiness for disbursement to the retired teachers,” said Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion in a letter dated June 27.

He went on: “It has come to our attention that many of these teachers are rapidly dying due to stress related to the non-payment of their dues.”

IMMEDIATE PAYMENT

Mr Sossion said the union has been instructed by the retired teachers to demand prompt and immediate payment of their dues.

“Please note that this should be done directly to their individual bank accounts before the end of July 2017,” added Mr Sossion in the letter that was copied to Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich.

In March this year, Director of Pensions Shem Nyakutu was ordered jailed for 30 days by the Nakuru High Court for contempt.

Justice Janet Mulwa, while issuing her ruling, said the official had deliberately failed to disburse Sh1.5 billion meant for retired teachers though the money had been allocated by the National Treasury.

PROCESSED CLAIMS

The sentence followed a lawsuit filed by over 52,000 teachers who retired between August 1997 and September 1998.

Last year, the Teachers Service Commission indicated that its pensions department had processed claims for the retired teachers.

About 1,700 cases had been processed and forwarded to the Treasury and 1,999 more cases were being processed.