More than a decade after Kenya’s devolution took effect, 313 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) officers are asking the Senate to intervene over salary stagnation, stalled promotions and disputed pension benefits arising from their transfer to county governments.
The officers told the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on Thursday that their move from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to counties in 2015 left them facing financial and career setbacks that have never been resolved.
Represented by lead petitioner Peter Makara, the officers said they were originally teachers employed by TSC on permanent and pensionable terms before being appointed as ECDE programme officers under the Ministry of Education. Their functions were later transferred to county governments as part of devolution.
According to the petitioners, the transition failed to protect employment benefits they had accumulated under the national government, including pension records, promotions and salary progression.
Makara said TSC issued “last pay certificates” when the officers moved to counties, effectively ending the progression of their national pension records in 2015.
“Since 2015 we have not had any promotions other than just the normal annual increments,” he said.
The officers also challenged claims that they voluntarily chose to leave TSC for county employment. The commission’s release letter allowed them to remain teachers under TSC and seek deployment, a provision some senators interpreted as evidence that the move was voluntary.
“We want to correct the petitioners that there was no force here,” one senator said.
However, a retired ECDE officer rejected that interpretation, describing the release letter as “very malicious” and saying the transition had left her with lower retirement benefits.
She told the committee that she retired on a basic salary of Sh67,000 and currently receives a monthly pension of Sh35,000. In contrast, a colleague who remained under TSC retired on a basic salary of Sh64,000 and receives Sh47,000.
She said she was informed by Treasury officials that there were discrepancies in her records but was directed back to TSC to seek corrections.
The petitioners further raised concerns over differing pension arrangements among counties. While some enrolled ECDE officers in contributory schemes such as CPF and LAPTRUST, others reportedly said the officers could not join county schemes because they remained covered by the national non-contributory pension system.
The committee, chaired by Julius Murgor, said the dispute required clarification from institutions involved in the 2015 transition.
It resolved to summon TSC, the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee, the Council of Governors, the Retirement Benefits Authority, the Director of Pensions at the National Treasury and representatives of county pension funds.
The institutions will be asked to explain how the transfer was implemented and whether measures were put in place to safeguard the officers’ accrued employment and retirement benefits.
The Senate said its inquiry was not aimed at reversing devolution but at determining whether gaps in the transition left public officers to bear the cost of the administrative changes.
For the officers, the hearing offered another opportunity to seek redress for years of stalled career growth and disputed pension rights.
“We are very positive that you will assist us,” Makara said.