Kuppet protests delay to appoint retirement scheme trustees

Kuppet secretary general Akello Misori. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has raised concern over the delay by the government to appoint trustees to the Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS).

The PSSS is a contribution scheme where the government and employees jointly contribute to fund retirement benefits.

The scheme has a total of 422,000 pensioners among them 244,000 teachers, 115,000 disciplined forces and 61,000 civil servants.

Addressing the media on Sunday, Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori said that for more than three months, the Fund has been operating without the management board yet all nominating bodies have presented their nominees to the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary as required by law.

"The delay in concluding the appointments has created a vacuum in PSSS management that may jeopardise the scheme's proper management as set in law. For four months now, the Fund's CEO and staff have been left to make important decisions that fall under board leadership. The continued vacuum at board level leaves billions of shillings of pensioners' hard-earned savings at risk," Misori said.

The Kuppet boss claimed that the delay in appointing the trustees was being orchestrated by a cartel of power brokers angling to control the multi-billion shilling Fund. 

He urged the National Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung'u, to discharge his legal responsibility by gazetting the PSSS nominees to safeguard pensioner's funds.

"We once again remind the Cabinet Secretary to be conscious of the suffering our retirees go through to access their pensions. The legal framework of PSSS appointments was carefully crafted to ensure good governance and accountability in the scheme," Misori said.

The union claimed that it unearthed a forged letter bearing the signatures of its top officials purportedly authorising the nomination of other individuals.

"Kuppet learnt of a forged letter bearing the signature of our two officials, Ronald Tonui and Sammy Chelang'a purporting to nominate other persons for the position," said Misori adding that the union has disowned the fake letter and asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to trace its origin.