The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the National Treasury through the office of the secretary of pensions have assured the National Assembly’s Select Committee on Implementation that there was a clear plan to digitize and manage all files with teacher’s data at TSC to create room for efficient and timely communication that will allow quick processing of retirement payment and other benefits for teachers.
In a meeting held at Parliament buildings to apprise the Committee on the implementation status of House resolutions on public petition No. 46 of 2023, presented by Peter Shake, MP Mwatate on behalf of retired teachers, the secretary pensions Michael Kagika who appeared on behalf of the Treasury Principal Secretary (PS) Dr, Chris Kiptoo said that with the ongoing automation of teachers files, there will be no files moving from TSC to the National Treasury.
“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.
The Committee, led by Raphael Wanjala, Chairperson, had questioned why retired or deceased teachers were required to submit documents such as their KRA PIN, tax clearance certificates, or their maiden payslip to process their dues or retirement benefits to those surviving them or to their next of kin.
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“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”.
TSC acting boss Evaleen Mitei, in her response, informed the lawmakers that the Pensions Act prohibits TSC from recovering any money from teachers’ pensions, which results in the back and forth witnessed before. She however said that the Commission had avenues of engaging retired teachers and any liabilities have been recovered peacefully.
TSC also pointed out that the Government was committed to absorbing more teachers from those on internship by way of employment.
“During the 2025/2026 financial year, a total of 21,383 teachers were promoted and in the next financial year 2026/2027 we have requested Ksh2 billion for the promotion of more teachers. When it comes to the issue of interns, on February 27, the court of appeal pronounced itself, we have had issues of budgetary allocations and legal framework, we are consulting as Government to see how we can implement that ruling,” said Mitei
She further informed the Committee that in the 2026/2027 budget, there is a provision to absorb twenty thousand intern teachers from the current forty-four thousand; a budget for the remaining twenty-four thousand is not provided.
The Committee directed that TSC works closely with the National Treasury pensions office to allow teachers a honorable retirement life.
By Our Reporter
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