The government has unveiled a digital solution aimed at ending long-standing delays in the payment of teachers’ retirement benefits, offering hope to thousands of retired educators across the country.

Officials from the National Treasury and the Teachers Service Commission on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, told Parliament that the rollout of an electronic pensions management system will streamline processing and eliminate inefficiencies that have plagued the system for years.

Shift to a digital system

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Select Committee on Implementation at Bunge Tower, the Secretary of Pensions, Michael Kagika, said the government is transitioning from manual records to a fully digitised system.

“Hon. Members, technology is sorting out all the delays we have been witnessing due to reasons of lost or disappeared files, the Government has successfully piloted and is now rolling out electronic pensions management system (e-PMIS) across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, these reforms addresses recommendations by you, the lawmakers, promotes accountability and also improves transparency,” he said.

Kagika added that once the system is fully operational, there will be no need for physical movement of files between TSC and the Treasury, a process that has often caused delays.

The committee, chaired by Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala, questioned the bureaucratic hurdles that retirees and families of deceased teachers face when claiming benefits.

TSC bureaucracies

Lawmakers expressed concern that teachers are often required to submit multiple documents, including KRA PINs, tax clearance certificates, and even maiden payslips, requirements that have slowed down the process.

“Bureaucracies at TSC are making retired teachers die before seeing their pension. Sometimes, teachers are required to pay some money to get their benefits. TSC needs a system that can compute and deduct from the pension once they are cleared for payment,” members said.

Responding to the concerns, TSC Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei explained that the Pensions Act prohibits the commission from deducting liabilities directly from pension payments.

She noted that this legal restriction has contributed to the back-and-forth processes often experienced before benefits are released.

However, Mitei assured the committee that the commission has alternative mechanisms to recover any outstanding liabilities through engagement with retirees.

Ruto’s promise

This comes months after President William Ruto assured that teachers retiring from service would receive their retirement benefits within 10 days.

Ruto’s pledge was on September 13, 2025, shared by the State Department for Basic Education via X.

“Teachers retiring will now access their benefits within 10 days. The President added that the goal is to make these payments available within 1 day or even the same day in the future,” the post read.