MPs Oppose Transfer Of Pension Service To Counties
The transfer of pension services from the national government to counties has been halted by members of the National Assembly's Finance and National Planning Committee.
Lydia Kadima 
The committee went against petitions to devolve the services through legislation in a report released last week after considering a plea from dissatisfied seniors.
While the Committee stated that pension services are still within the control of the national government, it also stated that the National Treasury is taking steps to resolve the issue of pension payment delays for retirees.
“Customer care services have been decentralized to the Huduma Centers across the country. The pension officers manning the pension counters provide a range of services to pensioners and dependants including the receipt of pension claims and other general inquiries,” said the Committee.
Nonetheless, the Committee has requested the National Treasury to adopt other corrective steps, such as expanding the services provided in Huduma Centers to minimize the need for retirees to travel to Nairobi for services.
Simultaneously, the exchequer has been ordered to put in place mechanisms to guarantee that Ministries, State Departments, and Agencies comply with the requirement that pension documentation be submitted to the Pension Department nine months before the pension is payable.
During the fiscal year 2020/2021, the Treasury Pensions Department received 27.968 pension claims and paid out Ksh.110.3 billion.
Florence Mutua, a Busia Woman Representative, submitted the petition in March last year on behalf of pensioners around the country who had inquired about the prospect of devolving pension services to improve service delivery to seniors, particularly in remote areas.
