The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) has intervened to secure the release of a late teacher’s pension benefits following delays in the processing of a claim.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

According to the Office of the Ombudsman, a widow raised the issue after payments linked to her late husband had been suspended and efforts to resolve the matter with the Pensions Department failed to yield results.

The widow told the Commission that the benefits had been paid through a SACCO before access to the funds was halted pending the submission of a declaration form.

“Ms. A.M. lodged a complaint with the Commission alleging that the Pensions Department had stopped remitting the pension benefits of her late husband, a retired teacher. According to her, the benefits had been paid through Solution Sacco in Meru County. However, the Department suspended access to the pension benefits pending the submission of a declaration form,” the CAJ wrote in a statement released on Monday, June 15.

📌 What You Need to Know

She subsequently submitted the declaration form as instructed by the Pensions Department, however, the matter remained unresolved.

“Ms. A.M. complied with the requirement and submitted the declaration form as instructed. Despite this, the matter remained unresolved, prompting her to seek the intervention of the Commission,” the CAJ stated.

With no progress made on her claim, the widow sought the intervention of the Ombudsman to help establish the cause of the delay and facilitate the release of the benefits.

The Commission then took up the matter with the Director of Pensions through its inquiry process in a bid to resolve the complaint.

In its response, the Pensions Department confirmed that remittances into the late teacher’s account had been suspended. The Department also explained that a review of its records showed that declaration forms previously submitted by the widow had not been received.

According to the Department, the absence of the duly completed forms on its records meant it could not process the pension claim and resume the payments.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke