TSC to release Pension for 11000 Teachers later.
Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u informed lawmakers on Wednesday that the government is making great strides toward paying teachers‘ arrears. Government owes roughly 11,000 retired teachers who have waited 27 years for their pensions.
Ndung’u informed lawmakers that the government had set aside Ksh16 billion in May to pay these dues. The arrears were noted to be backlog of since 1997. This allocation, however, was insufficient to pay for all unpaid claims.
Ndung’u says that the TSC has processed 22,317 of the 23,267 updated claims submitted to the National Treasury since 1997. The availability of resources will determine when the Treasury will send the outstanding balances.
Unpaid pensions are a sensitive subject that is currently the focus of ongoing judicial proceedings. Further complicating the situation is the fact that a few retired teachers have passed away.
Some instructors are living in abject poverty as a result of the government’s refusal to pay their salary.
CS Ndung’u acknowledged the seriousness of the situation during the meeting and stated, “I’ve been in this position for ten months, and I agree with the urgency of the matter.”
Legislators expressed doubts about the Ksh16 billion allocation, questioning whether it explicitly addresses the pensions of previously excluded pensioners or if it covers all pension payments.
After a protracted court battle, these retired teachers were successful in 2008 in obtaining their pensions.
However, payments didn’t start coming in until this year, so some instructors are still working without pay.
The government has promised to settle any outstanding debts owing to teachers as a result.
Notably, due to the fact that they had already received pay raises as part of the 1997 wage adjustment, teachers who retired after July 2003 are not eligible for these benefits.
Five phases of payments were initially planned for the retirees, with the last phase ending in 2001. The year that the Knut and the government came to a payment arrangement saw, however, only the first step being put into action.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education’s Secretary-General, Akelo Misori, has encouraged members of Parliament to put pressure on the Treasury to guarantee the early disbursement of these funds.
TSC to release Pension for 11000 Teachers later.
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