The Office of the Ombudsman has urged Nairobi County to urgently settle longstanding pension arrears owed to former employees of the defunct Nairobi City Council. In a statement issued on December 15, the oversight body challenged Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration to honor these inherited obligations. The recommendations include joint verification, budget prioritization, and a structured payment plan amid financial constraints.
Pressure continues to build on Nairobi County government as the Office of the Ombudsman calls for immediate steps to address billions in unpaid pensions to retirees from the former Nairobi City Council. The statement, released on Monday, December 15, emphasizes that these liabilities persist despite administrative changes, binding the current leadership under Governor Johnson Sakaja to fulfill them.
Key recommendations focus on collaboration: the county should partner with pension administrators, the Office of the Auditor General, and the Treasury for a thorough verification and reconciliation of the arrears. The Ombudsman classifies these as statutory pending bills, insisting they merit priority in the budget as mandatory expenses.
Recognizing the county's fiscal challenges, the oversight body proposes a multi-year payment plan with a defined timeline to gradually clear the debts. Transparency is another pillar, with calls for regular updates to affected pensioners and public progress reports via official platforms.
This push follows recent complaints from retirees of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, who claim over Ksh 4 billion in unremitted deductions has plunged hundreds of families into hardship. In November, the Senate Select Committee on County Public Investments and Special Funds established a Multi-Agency Taskforce to probe discrepancies in reported pension debts between counties and schemes. The taskforce aims to harmonize figures—including principal, interest, and penalties—and develop an agreed payment formula involving the National Treasury, Council of Governors, and pension bodies.