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The Teachers Service Commission has stopped all payroll deductions to the Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) following an investigative exposé that raised concerns over alleged irregular salary deductions that are affecting thousands of female teachers across the country.
This move came amid investigations aired by KTN and published by The Standard, which linked the deductions to what was described as a scheme siphoning money from the salaries of about 95,000 unsuspecting teachers through a Ksh 200 monthly check-off facility.
According to the report, the decision to stop the deductions had already been made by the time the commission convened an emergency meeting on April 15, 2026, with the meeting’s purpose to formalise the resolution.
“There was no debate today; the political heat was unbearable. The meeting was just to write what had already been decided in the court of public opinion,” quoted The Standard.
Petition Filed
The suspension comes as a group of female teachers filed a petition before the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kakamega seeking to stop the mandatory deductions and compel KEWOTA to refund millions of shillings allegedly deducted from their salaries since January 2019.
The teachers are also asking the court to suspend the check-off facility through which the deductions were being processed.
On the other hand, law firm Apollo & Company Advocates issued a demand letter to the Principal Secretary for Public Service and the acting TSC Chief Executive Officer, giving them three days to disclose the number of female teachers affected and the cumulative amount deducted.
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Alleged Deductions Are Unconstitutional
The lawyers argued that the deductions made under check-off number 584 were put in place without public participation and without individual teacher consent.
This has raised concerns about possible violations of constitutional protections on fair administrative action, property rights, and even fair labour practices.
They warned that legal action would follow if the requested information is not provided within the given timeline.
Attempts To Intefere With Investigations
Separately, security analyst Tom Andati, cited in The Standard, suggested there could be attempts to interfere with investigations after KEWOTA’s head office, located in Nairobi’s Hurlingham area, was allegedly broken into on Tuesday night.
According to the report, an unknown number of computers and servers, which are believed to contain critical financial data, were taken from the premises.
“That is a classic way to erase digital footprints, to hide and tamper with evidence before forensic auditors can descend on the premises, and the police should have by now acted to seal that office and impound every remaining machine,” Andati said.
He further warned that investigators risk losing key digital evidence if action is not taken.
However, authorities had not issued an official statement regarding the reported break-in by the time of publication.
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TSC
Meanwhile, TSC distanced itself from the matter, saying it had noted with serious concern the publications aired by KTN on April 12, 2026, and those appearing in The Standard on April 13 regarding alleged payroll deductions from teachers in favour of KEWOTA.
“The Commission recognises the gravity of the issues raised and the allegations contained in these reports. In light of this, an internal inquiry has been initiated to establish the facts surrounding the matter,” TSC said in a statement.
Some teachers affected by the deductions expressed concern over the developments, saying they had contributed to KEWOTA for years under the impression that the association was supporting women’s empowerment within the teaching profession.
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KEWOTA Chief Executive Officer Benta Opande at a past event. PHOTO/Standard