A widow in Meru County has finally received her late husband’s pension benefits after the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), commonly known as the Office of the Ombudsman, stepped in to help resolve a prolonged delay.
The case involved a retired teacher whose pension payments had been suspended, leaving his widow struggling to access funds despite making several attempts to resolve the issue with the Pensions Department.
According to a statement issued by the Ombudsman on Monday, the widow lodged a complaint after payments linked to her late husband stopped without a clear resolution, even after she submitted documents requested by the authorities.
The woman explained that the pension benefits were being channelled through a SACCO in Meru County before access to the funds was halted pending the submission of a declaration form.
She complied with the requirement and submitted the form as instructed. However, despite doing so, the matter remained unresolved, forcing her to seek help from the Ombudsman.
The Commission subsequently took up the case and wrote to the Director of Pensions to establish why the payments had not resumed.
During the inquiry, the Pensions Department confirmed that the pension remittances had indeed been suspended. Officials further indicated that records in their system did not show receipt of the declaration forms that had allegedly been submitted earlier.
As a result, the department said it could not process the claim or release the benefits without the required documentation on file.
To move the matter forward, another declaration form was issued and the widow was advised to complete and resubmit it through the Commission.
With this new application being made, the Pension Office handled the complaint and gave out the long-overdue pension benefits.
The woman informed the Ombudsman that she was able to receive the money owed, marking the end of a lengthy procedure that lasted several months.
This case shows how difficult it still is for many retired people and their families to get the benefits, considering that there have been complaints about delays, lack of documentation and tedious paperwork procedures.
The Ombudsman explained that its involvement in the matter solved the communication problem between the complainant and the responsible government agency.
