By Emmanuel Nduka
Kenyan President William Ruto has directed government agencies to ensure public servants receive their retirement benefits within 10 days of leaving service.
The directive will initially apply to teachers before being extended to other government workers, with Ruto giving the agencies three months to meet the new target.
Ruto gave the directive on Monday during activities marking World Teachers’ Day in Nairobi, where he said the government was taking steps to address delays in the processing and payment of retirement benefits.
A new digital pension management system is being introduced to process retirement records before workers leave service and reduce paperwork involved in processing their benefits.
The system is being implemented by the Teachers Service Commission and the National Treasury, with the government seeking to begin processing pension documentation ahead of workers’ retirement.
Ruto said the process should ensure public servants do not have to wait for prolonged periods after leaving service before receiving their entitlements.
Delays in pension processing have been a longstanding issue in Kenya. An investigation by the Commission on Administrative Justice found that about 70 per cent of retirees surveyed were dissatisfied with the processing and payment of their retirement benefits.
The investigation identified delays, bureaucratic procedures and administrative inefficiencies among the issues affecting retirees. Some cases involved retirees who had waited several years for their benefits, including teachers.
Kenya’s Parliament has also previously raised concerns over delays in pension processing and called for clearer timelines for government agencies handling retirement claims.
The issue is also reported in other African countries, where delays in pension contributions and payments have affected workers and retirees.
In Ghana, organised labour has raised concerns over delays in the remittance of pension deductions, while Nigeria has continued to settle outstanding pension liabilities owed to retirees under its various pension schemes.
The Kenyan government is now expected to begin implementing the 10-day retirement benefit payment target with teachers before extending the system to other categories of public servants.
