Tinderet MP, Julius Melly, will sponsor a bill in the National Assembly that seeks to fast-track payment of retirement benefits to teachers. Numerous complaints have been lodged by retired teachers who reportedly wait over three years to get their dues.
According to him, these have been caused by the lack of a robust legal framework, which has left many retired teachers in dire financial constraints and unable to meet their obligations, including paying school fees for their children. He described the situation currently as “wrong and immoral,” citing the suffering it was causing among retired teachers.
“Teachers dedicate their life to the profession but when they reach 60, it takes them 2-3 years to have the pension processed. Some of them are sick,” Melly stated.
The bill, if passed, will make the Director of Pensions, the CEO of TSC, and the Retirement Benefits Authority liable for ensuring that all retirement benefits are paid out within a month after the retirement of a teacher. This bill will give guidelines in terms of processing the retirement documents in time, setting the cutoff date way in advance, and formally requesting these documents six months prior to retirement.
He said the bill has a terminal leave clause of three months to enable teachers to tidy up any paper work before finally going out of service. This shall reduce the time it takes to release the funds to the retired teachers for easy settlement into post-service life.
Speaking during a meeting by the Kenya National Union of Teachers Tinderet branch, Melly asked teachers to embrace saving through Saccos in order to enjoy easy retirement. He also called for continuous promotion of teachers to motivate them, saying that in 2012, the Education Committee approved Sh1 billion and 36,000 teachers were promoted. It is now pushing to have more funds to promote at least 55,000 teachers annually.
On the coming strike by teachers, Melly said his committee was working with the National Treasury and TSC to ensure the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in July 2021 is implemented in totality. But in a quick rejoinder, KNUT’s Assistant Secretary General Hesbon Otieno maintained the strike notice, saying indeed the teachers will go on strike on August 26 if the government will not work out the implementation of the last phase of the CBA as stipulated.
It is also demanding the confirmation of 46,000 Junior Secondary School teachers, the promotion of 136,000 teachers who have stagnated, and a salary review to reflect the high cost of living. Mr. Otieno, the union’s secretary-general said it is working in conjunction with Kuppet in these demands. If it happens, then the strike is likely to disrupt the reopening of schools for the third term and the administration of national examinations scheduled for October.