Retired teachers will finally get a relief if the Director of Pension and Teachers Service Commission disburses the money in three months, court heard yesterday.
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Doreen Udour on Thursday, the CEO for TSC, Nancy Macharia told the cort that the commission is verifying the data of the retired teachers in order to disburse the Ksh 1.5 billion.
Macharia who risked being issued an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court for charges of contempt of court but said she was out of the country on official basis and provided travel documents.
"I didn't deliberately fail to appear before this honourable court. As these documents show, I jetted out of Kenya on May 29 till June 13," said the TSC boss.
She told the court that the 2016/17 has given the retired teachers the full amount and they shall receive the money in the next 100 days.
Ms Wanjiku Mbiu who was appearing for the Attorney General said that the Controller of budget and the President have issued a diretive to pay the pension.
Lawyer Dominic Kimata, who appeared for the teachers said that the TSC boss should be arrested and jailed for six months for deliberately disobeying the court orders and failing to pay the retired teachers.
"The CEO should serve a civil jail for at least six months for contempt of court. Judge Murwa ruled that the teachers should be paid their salaries and pension and no one is talking of the salaries. She should not be given even a minute leave alone the 100 days," said Mr Kimata.
He argued that President Uhuru Kenyatta had allocated the money to the retired teachers when he was the Finance Minister but TSC failed to pay the money.
"For 13 years, these teachers have not been paid. President allocated the money for them but the TSC which asked for three months have never paid the money," added Kimata.
He said that the teachers have over the years been allocated the money including the complementary budget in Match 2016 which have never been paid.
He challenged to provide documents showing the disbursment precedures.
"No money can be disbursed before the Treasury is served with form GP178. The Principal Secratary, Kamau Thugge has asked the TSC to serve him with the document, let them produce the copy of the document before this court," posed Mr Kimata.
Speaking for Ms Macharia, Lawrence Karanja said that his client who has been in office for only eight months has made significant strides to ensure the teachers are paid their dues.
"Its wrong to say Ms Macharia who has been in office for only eight weeks is negligent. For the first time in thirteen years teachers are now relieved since the money is to be disbursed soon," said Karanja.
The court was adjourned to June 20.