The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is under pressure to explain sudden increases in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions that appeared in June payslips of teachers across the country.
In June, teachers experienced an increase of approximately Ksh 108 in PAYE deductions.
In a phone call with Citizen TV on June 19, Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno questioned the timing of the deductions, saying teachers had not received any corresponding salary increment to justify a higher tax obligation.
He noted that some teachers were seeing even higher deductions depending on their job grades, raising concerns over the rationale behind the PAYE adjustments at a time when payslips showed no increase in earnings.
“Others are being deducted even more depending on their grades, and teachers are asking why there is an increase in PAYE despite the fact that there is no salary increment reflected in their payslips,” he said.
Teachers Raise Alarm Over Ksh108 Increase in PAYE Deductions
Data reviewed from teachers’ payslips showed varying PAYE adjustments, with some cases indicating increases from Ksh10,334 to Ksh10,442 and others from Ksh18,279 to Ksh18,387.
According to union officials, the total additional deductions could reach approximately Ksh32.4 million in a single month if the adjustment were applied across the more than 300,000 teachers employed by TSC.
Otieno further stated that teachers had anticipated that any changes to statutory deductions would align with the implementation timeline of the second phase of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
He added that the situation would have been more understandable if the adjustments had been made at the end of July, when the second phase of the 2025–2029 CBA is expected to take effect, and warned that the current timing of the increases has caused concern among educators.
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“If there was a change at the end of July, we would understand because that is when the second phase of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to take effect. But as it stands now, it is alarming to see an increase in deductions when there is no additional money in teachers’ pockets,” Otieno added.
KNUT Deputy Secretary General stressed the need for transparency in payroll administration, cautioning against deductions that are not clearly explained to employees.
He maintained that no adjustments should be made to teachers’ payslips without proper clarification of their purpose, adding that any erroneous deductions should be promptly reversed and refunded to those affected.
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Monthly Deductions
In Kenya, teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are subject to a range of statutory and union-related deductions.
These include Pay As You Earn (PAYE), a progressive income tax based on gross earnings, and contributions to the Social Health Authority (SHA), which replaced earlier medical insurance schemes.
Teachers also contribute to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) as part of retirement savings, along with a 1.5 percent Housing Levy deducted from gross salary to support the government’s affordable housing programme.
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