Officers from the State Department for Irrigation who are nearing retirement have begun a five-day training aimed at preparing them for life after the Civil Service.
The training is being held at the National Irrigation Authority Guest House in Mwea.
Speaking during the official opening, Director of Human Resource Management and Development at the State Department for Irrigation Daniel Okwiri said the programme would help officers prepare for the transition from employment.
Okwiri urged the officers to pay attention to the key issues they need to prepare for mentally before retirement.
He said the State Department had brought in retirement professionals to ensure the officers understand what to expect after leaving the Civil Service.
Officials from the National Treasury also took the participants through the management of pensions for National Government officers.
They included Senior Deputy Director of Pensions Geoffrey Kibanda and Deputy Director of Pensions Roline Kendi.
Officers Raise Concerns Over Pension Delays
During the training, participants raised concerns over delays in the processing of pension claims.
They called on the Pensions Department to address the bottlenecks that have previously caused frustrations for pensioners.
Kibanda, however, advised the officers to follow up their pension claims directly with the Pensions Department instead of using brokers.
He warned that some people who claim they can speed up pension payments may be seeking to defraud retirees.
“People who come to you promising that they will help you to process your pension payments faster are out to swindle you out of your hard earned pension,” Kibanda said.
He urged the officers to follow up their claims directly through the Pensions Department.
Kibanda also encouraged the prospective pensioners to prepare psychologically for retirement to make the transition from employment smoother.
He said the Pension Act is currently outdated and is being reviewed as part of reforms aimed at improving services to pensioners.
According to Kibanda, biometric information of pensioners will also be captured in future as part of efforts to address challenges that have contributed to delays in the processing and payment of pensions.
He further explained the pension claims process, from the submission of claims at Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to the Pensions Department and finally the payment of the pensioner.