Ruto Orders NSSF to Pay Pension Benefits Within 10 Days

Public servants are set to have their retirement benefits processed within 10 days under a new directive announced by President William Ruto.

The directive is expected to address years of delays that have left some retirees waiting for months or even years before accessing money earned during their service.

Ruto announced the changes on Monday, October 5, during the World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani in Nairobi. He directed the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and other agencies handling retirement benefits to ensure payments are made within the new timeline.

Teachers Among First Beneficiaries

According to Ruto, teachers are expected to benefit from the reforms as the new system is rolled out across the public service.

He said government agencies had assured him that the 10-day turnaround for teachers' retirement benefits would be achieved within the next three months.

The President also directed that retirees should no longer be forced to move from one government office to another while following up on their benefits.

New System to Reduce Delays

The government has been rolling out the Pension Management Information System through the Teachers Service Commission and National Treasury.

Ruto said pension records were already being uploaded into the system, with the digital process expected to make verification and payment faster.

The reforms are intended to address problems associated with missing records, manual paperwork and other administrative delays that have affected pension processing.

Ruto said the new approach would eventually be applied uniformly across the public service, covering teachers and other government employees.

The directive therefore marks a proposed shift towards faster processing, with the government targeting a 10-day period between retirement and payment of benefits.