Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-01-30 03:00:00
Duke Omano has become all too familiar with the sight of Bima House, the government pension processing offices, and has been walking in and out of the building for the past three years. Every time he enters, he holds onto hope for a different outcome, but the initial feelings of anger and disappointment from his first visit to the building remain ever-present. His father, a retired employee of the Ministry of Irrigation, should be enjoying his retirement, but instead, the process of receiving his pension has been a source of frustration and worry for the family.
Omano’s father dedicated his prime years to serving the people of Kenya and diligently saved for his retirement. He worked in the quality control department of the ministry until his retirement in 2018, with his final posting in Nandi County. Despite numerous visits to the pensions department, the family is still waiting for the final stages of processing to be completed. The prolonged process has negated the peaceful retirement that was once anticipated, as the pensioner now spends his days wondering when he will finally receive his first payment. Omano’s father fears that he may never get to enjoy the fruits of his labor in retirement due to the officials at the pensions department seemingly denying him what is rightfully his.
Bima House, home to the Treasury’s pensions department, is supposed to ensure the timely and efficient payment of pensions and other benefits to eligible employees of the Kenyan public service. However, the disappointment and despair on the faces of the pensioners leaving the building paint a different reality. Despite efforts to get a comment from the Pensions department, the Nation was met with silence.
Mama Jane is one of the many senior citizens who have made numerous trips to Bima House in hopes of receiving their rightful pension benefits. She has all the necessary documents but feels hopeless in trying to navigate the bureaucratic process. She laments the financial strain that has impacted her children’s education as a result of the delays in disbursement. Nelson Nyakundi, another affected individual, is left frustrated by the continuous delays and amendments to his father’s pension details, which are causing financial strain on the entire family.
The waiting area at Bima House is filled with dejected pensioners, their faces reflecting the disappointment and fatigue accumulated from the repetitive visits to the building. The overall sentiment is one of hopelessness, as individuals struggle to gain access to the financial support that is rightfully theirs.
To exacerbate the situation, corrupt practices are reportedly commonplace within the operations of Bima House, as officials exploit the pensioners through backdoor deals and irregular processes. This issue has been documented for over a decade, with reports highlighting the exploitation of pensioners by intermediaries and brokers within the pension department. Despite the grievances and complaints, the system remains a bottleneck for the pensioners who are in dire need of their rightful benefits.
The ongoing struggle for pensioners to receive their payments reflects a broken system that fails to provide dignified livelihoods for those who have dedicated their working years to serving the nation. The pervasive challenges within Bima House have caused an immense toll on the lives of pensioners and their families, leaving them in a state of limbo and uncertainty regarding their financial well-being in their retirement years.
