President William Ruto has directed the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to ensure retirement benefits for public workers are processed and paid within 10 days of their retirement.
Speaking during World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani in Nairobi on Monday, President Ruto said the government was strengthening pension administration to ensure retirees do not face prolonged delays in accessing benefits accumulated during their working years.
The President explained that a pension management information system was being rolled out to speed up processing, with records being uploaded to facilitate faster payment.
“On July 1, 2026, the TSC and the National Treasury began rolling out the pension management information system to fast-track retirement benefits. Records are now being uploaded. The agencies responsible have assured me that within the next three months we will pay a teacher's retirement benefit within 10 days of their retirement,” Ruto said.
The Head of State maintained that the 10-day target should apply across the public service and directed NSSF to make timely payment of retirement benefits a standard practice.
“I want to make it uniform across the public service. I have given very clear instructions to the National Social Security Fund that going forward, all retirement benefits of all our public workers must be ready and paid within 10 days of a citizen's retirement.”
The directive comes as NSSF expands its operations and digitises services amid growing demand for retirement savings and benefits.
NSSF reported in March 2026 that it had about 3.6 million active members and more than 77,000 employers. Member contributions rose by about 35% to Sh84 billion during the 2024/25 financial year, while the Fund's assets increased by more than 43% to approximately Sh575 billion.
The Fund also said digitisation had significantly improved benefit processing. According to NSSF, average processing time had fallen from 89 days to about 10 days, although the President's directive seeks to make the 10-day period a guaranteed timeframe for public-sector retirees.
NSSF's official rules provide for an age or retirement benefit for members who reach 55 years, or who ultimately retire from regular employment. Members who retire from regular employment at 50 or above may also qualify for a withdrawal benefit, subject to the applicable rules.
Despite the improvements, the Fund has faced a history of delays in processing retirement claims. An audit previously found 18,025 benefit claims pending at the end of June in the year under review, with 7,113 of them linked to delays in fingerprint authentication.
More recently, NSSF reported that benefits paid to retirees fell by about 10% to Sh8.74 billion, with the decline attributed to fewer applications from retiring members. The figure compared with Sh9.71 billion in the previous financial year.
The Fund's contribution base, however, has continued to expand following the implementation of higher contribution rates. Contributions increased from Sh62.29 billion to Sh83.97 billion, according to figures reported for the year under review.
For teachers, President Ruto said faster pension payments were part of a wider effort to ensure that retirement comes with dignity after years of public service.
He further stressed that retiring teachers should not be forced to move between government offices in search of benefits, and that the pension system should provide a predictable transition from employment to retirement.
The President maintained that the pension management information system would help address administrative delays by ensuring records are uploaded and made available to agencies responsible for processing retirement benefits.
The government has also linked the reforms to its broader efforts to improve teachers' welfare, including salary increases, career progression, healthcare and access to affordable housing.
The President's directive therefore seeks to move the 10-day processing period from an improvement in NSSF's average performance to an expected standard for public workers.
For retirees, the change could significantly shorten the period between leaving employment and receiving the savings and benefits accumulated during their working lives.
With NSSF now managing about Sh575 billion in assets, the government is seeking to combine digitisation, improved records management and faster processing to make retirement benefits more accessible and predictable.