The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has warned teachers on the resurgence of a cartel that had cheated them out of millions of shillings.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia challenged tutors to be wary of the new cartel during a media sensitization event on Saturday, November 27.
She mentioned that the con artists, who had previously worked at the National Treasury, targeted both pension-eligible teachers and new recruits.
“They call you, you send money and then they change that number. When you call later, the number is not working,” added Macharia during the event in Naivasha.
Scammers frequently contacted teachers, promising to expedite the process of disbursing their retirement benefits for a small fee, a promise that never materialized.
“It is true, there were some cartels between us and the National Treasury. As you know, these cartels, I am sure you discovered them during recruitment and no matter how much we advertise that these services are free, why do people feel compelled to pay for something that should be done? Your pension is your pension regardless,” stated Macharia.
She went on to say that the fraudsters had previously converted an eatery in Nairobi into an office from which they ran the syndicate.
These people, Macharia said do not work for the Teachers Service Commission.
When we called the DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigations), because the situation had gotten so bad, that we had to have a meeting with National Treasury, there was a cafe in town which they had made their office.
They call, you send money, and then they change your phone number.” “When you call later, the number is not working,” Macharia explained at the Naivasha event.
TSC is one of Kenya’s largest employers, employing over 300,000 teachers. Every year, over 8,000 teachers leave the profession.
