TSC Identifies 54-Year-Old Colonial Laws and Manual Systems Causing Teachers Pension Delays

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) asserts that colonial laws, bureaucracy, and the ongoing adoption of manual systems by the National Treasury have slowed the processing of retired teachers’ benefits and pensions.

The TSC Human Resource and Management officer, Julius Olayo, and Legal Affairs Director, Cavin Anyuor, testified on Tuesday before the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, that processing payments is time-consuming and laborious due to the manual processing system and legal provisions of the Pensions Act.

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According to Olayo, the bureaucratic procedure includes numerous protocols and requires the verification of numerous documents, extending the processing time to as much as two years.

Anyuor stated that this law was passed in 1952, over half a century ago.

The employer of the teachers dissociated itself from liability for the delayed pension payments, stating that its role is merely facilitative.

This includes collecting pension claims and forwarding them to the National Treasury’s Director of Pensions for processing and payment.

In accordance with TSC operating procedures, teachers should receive their pensions three months after retirement. However, outdated legal provisions prevent the commission from making payments on time.

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Anyuor claims that it is by law that teachers must complete statutory forms and include supporting documentation, such as their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.

He stated that to address the delays, the commission has established an office at its headquarters staffed by Pensions Department personnel.

TSC urges teachers to submit the necessary documentation to its county and sub-county officers, who will then verify and forward the documents to its headquarters.

According to Olayo, Director of Legal Affairs, the commission has also begun automating portions of the pension process in an effort to reduce processing time.

Claims processing will be in terms of the first-in, first-out principle. Pension processing employees have been assigned daily goals.

The Senate Education Committee questioned why TSC would wait until a teacher retires to begin processing pensions, recommending that the process begin nine months prior to retirement.

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TSC Identifies 54-Year-Old Colonial Laws and Manual Systems Causing Teachers Pension Delays