Ex-Kenya Railway workers accuse body of delayed pension

Over 800 retirees of the Kenya Railways Cooperation in Siaya County have petitioned the government to release their pension increase arrears of Ksh 9.2 million, which has accumulated over the last two years.

According to the chairman of the Kenya Railway Pensioners Association Siaya County branch, Mzee Richard Ongong’a, the government has not effected their pension scheme increase since 2014.

He said there was an agreement that the retirees would be getting a pension increase of Ksh 1,000 per year but that has not been effected since April 2014, and that nobody is ready to give them any proper communication regarding the same.

The retirees, who want an overhaul of the entire staff at the Kenya Railway’s Pension Scheme over alleged inefficiency, lamented that the head office has kept issuing promises that are never fulfilled.

Mzee Ongong’a and his branch Secretary, John Owuor Anyango, who also decried persistent delay in the release of their monthly pensions, lamented that the pension scheme office has been promising to effect the pay but nothing has been forthcoming.

They were speaking to Radio Ramogi outside Huduma Center offices in Siaya town where they pleaded for the intervention of the government through the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA).

He noted that they are contemplating to pass a vote of no confidence against the pension scheme officials in their next Annual General Meeting.

Anyango also took issue with the Kenya Railways management over the recent sale of Matobato Railway estate in Nairobi at Ksh 1.5 billion arguing that bosses are the ones who benefited from the sale.