54-Year Old Colonial Rule Delaying Pension Processing for Teachers
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has highlighted that the delay in processing retired teachers’ benefits and pensions can be attributed to colonial-era laws, bureaucratic procedures, and the continued use of manual systems by the National Treasury.
During a hearing before the Senate Education Committee, TSC’s Human Resource and Management officer, Julius Olayo, and Legal Affairs Director, Cavin Anyuor, explained that the manual processing system and the legal provisions of the Pensions Act have made the payment process time-consuming and cumbersome.
Olayo pointed out that the bureaucratic process involves multiple protocols and the verification of numerous documents, often resulting in processing times of up to two years. Anyuor emphasized that the Pensions Act dates back to 1952, over half a century ago.
TSC clarified that it plays a facilitative role in the pension payment process, collecting pension claims and forwarding them to the National Treasury’s Director of Pensions for processing and payment. Despite TSC’s operating procedures stipulating that teachers should receive their pensions within three months after retirement, outdated legal provisions hinder timely payments.
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To address these delays, TSC has established an office at its headquarters staffed by personnel from the Pensions Department. The commission encourages teachers to submit required documentation to its county and sub-county officers for verification and subsequent forwarding to headquarters.
Additionally, TSC is in the process of automating parts of the pension process to expedite processing times. Claims processing will follow a first-in, first-out principle, and pension processing staff have daily goals.
The Senate Education Committee raised concerns about TSC’s practice of waiting until a teacher retires to initiate the pension processing and recommended that this process begin nine months prior to retirement.
54-Year Old Colonial Rule Delaying Pension Processing for Teachers
