ECDE officers seek Senate intervention over salary freeze, pension pain

More than 300 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) officers have taken their battle for better pay, career progression and fair retirement benefits to the Senate, accusing the 2015 devolution of leaving them trapped in a system that has disadvantaged them for more than a decade.

The 313 officers told the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee that their transfer from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to county governments disrupted their employment terms, froze their career progression and created huge disparities in retirement benefits compared with colleagues who remained under the national teaching service.

Lead petitioner Peter Makara said the officers, who were initially employed by TSC on permanent and pensionable terms, had not received substantive promotions since the transfer.

“Since 2015 we have not had any promotions other than just the normal annual increments. We have had a salary freeze,” Makara told senators.

The petitioners said TSC issued them with last-pay certificates when they moved to the counties, effectively freezing their pensionable service and locking them out of subsequent national salary reviews and career advancements.

The financial consequences, they told the committee, have followed some officers into retirement.

One retired ECDE officer told senators she retired on a basic salary of Sh67,000 and now receives a monthly pension of only Sh35,000. A colleague who remained under TSC, she said, retired on a lower basic salary of Sh64,000 but receives Sh47,000 every month.

The petitioners also raised concerns over fragmented pension arrangements after devolution, with some counties enrolling officers into contributory schemes such as CPF and LAPTRUST while others retained them under the national non-contributory pension arrangement.

The hearing also exposed uncertainty over whether the affected officers freely chose to leave TSC or were effectively compelled into the county system during the transition.

The committee, chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, resolved to summon TSC, the Council of Governors, the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee, the Retirement Benefits Authority, the Director of Pensions at the National Treasury and county pension funds.

The agencies will be required to explain how the transition was handled and propose measures to address the salary, promotion and pension inequalities.

“We believe that this is the right place where our prayers have been received and heard. We are very positive that you will assist us,” Makara said.