The Commission on Administrative Justice has faulted the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for merging its pension unit with mainstream human resource functions, warning that the decision has contributed to pension and death gratuity delays of up to six years.
In a press release Thursday, the Ombudsman recommended the re-establishment of a stand-alone pension unit within TSC among urgent corrective measures to resolve the persistent delays.
Commission Chairperson Charles Dulo asked TSK to ensure deployment of additional staff, strengthened supervision, and enhanced digitisation of pension processes to eliminate long-standing backlogs and ensure timely payment of benefits.
The Commission ordered the corrective measures after an investigation found delays of between two to four years for pension payments for teachers retiring compulsorily, while death gratuity claims took four to over six years.
While TSC linked some delays to incomplete or inaccurate documentation from retirees or next of kin, these were not the primary drivers of the prolonged delays.
“Delays [were] largely driven by insufficient staffing, the merger of the pension unit with mainstream HR functions, inadequate resources, weak supervision, and low levels of digitisation,” the Ombudsman said.
“These challenges [were] compounded by the overwhelming workload placed on a limited number of officers.”
The investigation also highlighted systemic bottlenecks at the Pensions Department, including frequent downtimes of the Pension Management Information System (PMIS), outdated communication methods, large backlogs of “keep-in-view” files, and verification challenges for death gratuity claims—particularly in polygamous households or where children were born out of wedlock.
To address these systemic failures, the Ombudsman recommended that TSC ensure early submission of pension claims, re-establishment a dedicated stand-alone pension processing unit, and upgrading of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and Document Management Information System (DMIS) to fully operational status.
The Commission further advised strengthened supervision, annual bio-data update campaigns, and revision of overpayment policies.
It also called for establishment of a verifiable First-In-First-Out payment system the Pensions Department to restore fairness and transparency.
The Ombudsman also called on the National Treasury to ensure the timely allocation and disbursement of pension funds in accordance with the law.
The Commission warned that continued delays violate retirees’ constitutional right to social protection, noting that some pension and gratuity files examined had been pending since as early as 2014.
Findings released on Thursday followed an investigation prompted by a surge in public complaints, including grievances aired on social media and formal complaints lodged with the Commission.
Retirees and their next of kin reporting repeated visits to TSC offices, missing files, and minimal communication regarding the status of their claims.
The Ombudsman said the recommendations aim to restore fairness, accountability, and transparency in the management of teachers’ pensions, while ensuring that retirees and beneficiaries receive their lawful entitlements in a timely manner.
