Teachers have been affected by National Social Security Fund (NSSF) deductions on their July salaries.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 27, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) in Vihiga County, along with other unions such as the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS), lodged complaints about this issue.
“We have learned that all our members have suffered an NSSF deduction to the tune of Sh 360. This deduction has come at a time when our members were eagerly waiting for the 7 to 10 percent increase in their basic salary as promised by His Excellency President William Ruto last month,” KUPPET said in the statement.
The majority of the affected teachers stated that approximately 6% of their take-home pay was missing.
The new NSSF Act now requires a monthly contribution of 12% of one’s monthly salary. Six percent of the employee’s salary is deducted, while the remaining six percent is paid by the employer.
The updated NSSF Act is one of the ways President William Ruto’s administration proposes to increase Kenyans’ savings in the Finance Act 2023.
“I know there is a proposal by the SRC for the increase of salaries for different cadres of both civil servants and other public servants. They have made a recommendation to us that they want to increase salaries of civil servants by an average of between 7 and 10 percent; that is from office assistants all the way to people who serve below the PSs,” said the President on June 30 during the unveiling of digital government services at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC).
Sabala Inyeni, the Executive Secretary of KUPPET in Vihiga, stated in the statement that teachers do not appreciate the government’s numerous savings schemes that purport to provide a better retirement package while subjecting them to untold suffering during their service.
