KCGWU Secretary General Roba Duba (pictured) on Wednesday said President Kenyatta was misled into assenting to the new law and called for the suspension of its implementation/FILE – JEMIMAH MUENI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 30 – Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) has demanded for the suspension of the County Governments Retirement Scheme (CGRS) Act, 2019, a new law assented by President Uhuru Kenyatta on September 18 until their concerns are addressed.
KCGWU Secretary General Roba Duba on Wednesday said President Kenyatta was misled into assenting to the new law and called for the suspension of its implementation.
“Members of this Union demand for the suspension of this barbaric Act and we condemn in strongest terms this CGRS law that neither give us a merger that we yearned for nor does it protect the benefits of our members,” said Duba.
Duba however said there was room for amendments to the law to address all the concerns raised by KCGWU, failure to which the union will seek legal redress.
“The KCGWU will have no choice but to seek legal redress and will be mobilizing the more than the more than 103,000 members countrywide to reject and picket extensively,” he said.
Among the primary objectives of the Act is to provide for an umbrella retirement scheme for all staff and officers of county governments as well as provide for the transition from the existing system of retirement benefits schemes for staff of county governments and former local and central governments to a uniform, inclusive and comprehensive pension scheme for county governments.
However, Duba poked holes into the new law saying it did not consider views of members it is to benefit despite purporting to be working towards protecting retirement benefits of county government workers.
Matilda Chebet, water companies’ representative lamented that the Act has excluded water companies, yet they are major sponsors and their employees are members of both schemes.
“This is seen as discrimination on both board representation and work representation,” she said.
“The total debts owed to both schemes are totaling up to 40 billion. The government must take responsibility of the debts and pay up to full before implementation/commencement of the Act,” stated Duba.
The Act seeks to reduce benefits of members arising from reduced contribution rates which the workers say contravenes various laws including Retirement Benefits Act, County Governments Act and their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
About The Author
