The National Treasury has blamed incomplete employment records submitted by public institutions for the persistent delays in processing pension payments for retirees across the country.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning on Tuesday, Public Investments and Asset Management Principal Secretary Cyrell Odede said missing documents from employers, particularly the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), have slowed down the release of pension benefits.
According to the PS, pension officers are often forced to ask retirees for old employment records because some institutions fail to submit complete documentation during the retirement process.
“With regard to teachers, the problem has been with the Teacher Service Commission, which fails to attach the required documents,” Odede told lawmakers.
Members of Parliament raised concerns after reports emerged that some retirees were being asked to provide first payslips issued years ago when they first joined public service, documents many pensioners no longer have.
The complaints have sparked frustration among retirees, many of whom have waited months, and in some cases years, to access their pension benefits.
However, officials from the pension department dismissed claims that retirees are required to submit their first payslips.
The ministry clarified that pension processing only requires an appointment letter from the employer and the final payslip issued upon retirement.
“We don’t require the first payslip upon appointment, but your first letter of employment from the employer and your last payslip upon exit from service,” an officer from the pension unit explained.
At the same time, the Treasury announced plans to roll out a new digital Pension Management Information System (PMIS) aimed at addressing delays and streamlining pension processing.
According to Odede, the system will digitise employment and payroll records, allowing pension officers to verify service history electronically instead of relying on physical files.
“The new system we are launching will eliminate the hurdles currently being experienced by pensioners upon exit from service,” the PS said.
The ministry says the new platform is expected to reduce bureaucracy, eliminate middlemen and cartels within the system, and speed up the processing of retirement benefits.
The upgraded system will also compel employers to submit complete employee records before workers retire, helping prevent future delays that have long frustrated pensioners.
