Crisis as teachers miss December pay over IFMIS hitch

December salary for all teachers will be delayed after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) told them there is a problem in the processing system.

An internal memo circulated by TSC said the Integrated Finance Management System (IFMIS) had since December 14 to date been very slow, making it difficult to process the payment on time.

“It is very slow and sometimes goes out completely making the ongoing payment processing incomplete,” said the memo signed by Grace Ngure, a senior TSC.

She told staff at TSC that the National Treasury team had been contacted and are currently handling the matter and indicated that teachers were not the only ones affected.

She asked teachers to bear with them as the problem is being sorted. That means over 300,000 teachers will not have money to spend during the festive season.

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori expressed hope that the system will be running smoothly by end month because that is the time they are expected to get their money.

“We give them the benefit of doubt because if by December 28, they will not have earned, we will raise the issue. Let us hope TSC is working on the problem,” said Misori.

His Kenya National Union of Teachers counterpart Wilson Sossion said it should not be the worry of teachers that the system had failed and all they want is the payment.

“Whether IFMIS fails or not, teachers have to be paid their money and all third party deductions have to be paid by January 3rd as stipulated by the law,” said Sossion.

Teachers who spoke to The Standard on Saturday expressed concern over the delay because schools are opening in the first week of January and they need to pay school fees and meet other expenses for their families.

Yesterday, the Council of Governors also told workers in all the 47 counties that they will not be paid their salaries, because the IFMIS system broke down four days ago.