Teachers Raise Alarm Over ‘KUPPET SWAL’ Deduction on Payslips
Instead of celebrating the long-awaited salary increment from the 2025-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teachers were left distressed, accusing the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of betrayal.
Unexpected Deduction Shocks Teachers
This surprise deduction, spotted alongside the usual 1.8% union fee, immediately drew outrage. Many teachers claimed they were not informed or consulted.
“We’ve been awakened to a problem on the teachers’ payslips. Yesterday, teachers were expecting to smile to the bank because of the CBA increment. Unfortunately, as we are talking right now, there is a new deduction called KUPPET SWAL on the payslips of teachers,” the teachers decried.
The frustration was evident as teachers across Nakuru and other regions demanded answers.
“We are classroom teachers; we have been affected by that unlawful deduction from the KUPPET SWAL. We are telling the national office that we want that deduction to be stopped with immediate effect and the teachers to be refunded their money,” they declared in unison.
Calls for Immediate Action
The teachers are now demanding transparency. They called on both KUPPET’s national office and the TSC to explain the source and reason for the deduction.
“Teachers are stressed, distressed, and unsettled. We’re crying. We can’t focus in class when our pay slips are bleeding,” the educators said emotionally.
The demand for accountability grows louder, especially with the weight of other statutory deductions like the Housing Levy and Social Health Authority (SHA) eating into their salaries.
Distrust Grows Amid New CBA Implementation
The backlash comes barely a week after teachers signed a Ksh33 billion CBA deal involving KUPPET, KNUT, and KUSNET. The deal, signed on July 19 and backdated to July 1, was supposed to offer financial relief, not extra deductions.
However, instead of joy, the pay increase turned into a nightmare.
“We want answers. Either explain it or remove it. We didn’t sign up for this,” one teacher emphasized during the press address.
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Teachers Raise Alarm Over ‘KUPPET SWAL’ Deduction on Payslips
