Nyeri: The number of persons visiting the Nyeri Huduma Center has risen steadily following the Government’s directive requiring all pensioners to enlist themselves on an e-registration portal. Nyeri Huduma Center Manager Maurice Barasa told KNA that between 150 and 200 retirees are visiting the premises on a daily basis to register on the new platform, pushing the total number of those visiting the facility to around 700.
According to Kenya News Agency, the majority of those seeking services at the centre are those who were born before 1949 and who are not in a position to log into the new system on their own. Barasa says they have already set up a help desk at the center to serve those coming to register as pensioners as one measure of expediting the process whose deadline is slated for February 28 this year.
“Since the start of this month we have witnessed a surge in the number of persons visiting our centre due to the ongoing registration of persons currently on pension schemes. On a normal working day this centre serves at least 400 persons on average. This figure has, however, climbed to between 600 and 700 following the new directive by the government requiring all pensioners to register on the new system,” said the official.
The officer also clarified that those coming to have their details captured are not required to pay anything as the services are being provided for free. He nevertheless said those wishing to register at local cyber cafes must be ready to part with a fee as payment for services rendered.
“We are calling upon all members of the public to disseminate this crucial information to others as soon as they receive it to ensure no beneficiary is left out. For those who are unable to visit our offices owing to advanced age or ill health, we are advising them to send either a caregiver or someone they can trust with their ID card, bank plate, and KRA pin to our office so that we can assist them as long as they have an active E-citizen account and an email address,” he explained.
In December last year, National Treasury PS Chris Kiptoo directed all former Government employees currently receiving pensions to register on the Pensions Self Registration Portal before February 28 this year or risk being struck out from the pension pay point. Kiptoo revealed that the country holds about Sh2 trillion in assets in the pension sector, with only 26 percent of Kenyans enjoying the benefits.
“We are giving all pensioners to complete their registration by February 28, 2025. This deadline is not negotiable, and it will serve as a vital step to organize and streamline pension administration,” Kiptoo said during the launch of the new e-registering portal on December 6, 2024. “Kindly know that any pensioner who does not complete registration by this deadline will face suspension from the payroll,” Kiptoo cautioned.
The move to migrate into the new system is meant to enhance efficiency, rid the pension system of ghost beneficiaries, and create a new end-to-end enterprise resource planning system. By May last year, there were about 3.5 million Kenyans who were contributing to the retirement benefits, translating to at least 25 percent of the total workforce in the country.
In 2020, the number of Kenyans who were on pension stood at 200,000 persons, with the figure steadily rising to 259,222 towards the end of last year. In July last year, the country’s pension bill rose by Sh10 billion after payments towards pension and gratuity payments to those exiting active public service hit Sh148.94 billion.
Article 43(1) of the Kenyan Constitution states that every person has the right to social security, while Article 43(3) enjoins the State to provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependents.