Ex-teachers accuse ministries of fraud

By WANJIRU MACHARIA lwmacharia@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, November 25  2012 at  20:02

In Summary

• The more than 52,000 ex-teachers are claiming more than Sh101 billion in unpaid salaries and pension since their retrenchment in 2007.
• In a statement by Retired Teachers Group of 1997 chairman Joseph Mwenja, the former teachers claimed that senior people in the ministries of Education and Finance and Attorney-General’s office were holding their dues after the money was released by the Treasury.
• Mr Mwenja claimed there was a deliberate move by the Office of the Controller of Budget to increase the retired teachers’ number to make the matter look hard to resolve.

A group of retired teachers has accused the government of conspiring to swindle them of billions of shillings in salary and pension arrears.

The more than 52,000 ex-teachers are claiming more than Sh101 billion in unpaid salaries and pension since their retrenchment in 2007.

In a statement by Retired Teachers Group of 1997 chairman Joseph Mwenja, the former teachers claimed that senior people in the ministries of Education and Finance and Attorney-General’s office were holding their dues after the money was released by the Treasury.

Mr Mwenja claimed there was a deliberate move by the Office of the Controller of Budget to increase the retired teachers’ number to make the matter look hard to resolve.

“Our figure has been calculated and budgeted for according to the court orders by the High Court and the Court of Appeal and it should be given to us now,” he said in Nakuru at the weekend.

The ex-tutors are demanding unpaid salary arrears and pension which have been pending for the last 15 years. They sued Teachers Service Commission in 2006 claiming unpaid lump sum salary increment and accrued pension from July 1997. (READ: State faces pension crisis as more workers turn 60)

The teachers won the case after the court ordered that all retired teachers covered by the agreement dated October 11, 1997 between the TSC and Knut were entitled to their retirement benefits based on the entire salary increment contained in that agreement.

Efforts by TSC to challenge the award at the Court of Appeal were futile.

Mr Mwenja the office of the controller of budget created additional monies that did not belong to them. He said their pension had been inflated to Sh41.9 billion to cater for expected litigations by teachers who served in 2003 to 2009 for equity.

“The court judgement only dealt with parties who were in court individually or by representation,” he said.