The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) will process claims within 24 hours starting next year, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has announced.
According to Mutua, claims are currently processed within seven days. However, spot checks have found the average processing time ranges between 10 and 18 days.
NSSF’s service charter states claims should not exceed 10 working days, though in practice, processing has taken up to 28 days for certain benefits.
“From the day you retire, if you submit your papers within 7 days, you will receive your first payment. We are working to ensure that next year it will be within 24 hours that you get your pension,” Mutua said during his official address at Labour Day Celebrations in Vihiga County on May 1, 2026.
He added, “Previously, people would retire and pass away before receiving their pension.”
Data reviewed indicates NSSF is enhancing its digital systems, including a mobile application, to accomplish the goal of processing claims within 24 hours of submission.
At the same celebrations, Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K) head Francis Atwoli requested reforms to increase board seats for both workers and employers.
Atwoli called for increasing workers’ representation by four seatstwo for workers and two for employers.
“Allow more workers’ and employers’ representatives to sit on the board. For instance, workers should provide 4 instead of 2, and employers should provide 4 instead of 2,” Atwoli requested.
Adding, “So that we can support the CEO and his team to effectively manage the fund.”
Under the NSSF Act, the board is led by a Chairperson, currently David K Njiru, appointed by the Cabinet Secretary for Labour.
Board membership includes the Principal Secretaries for both Finance and Labour, along with two representatives from the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and two from COTU-K.
Beyond these sectoral representatives, the board comprises three independent experts appointed for their professional backgrounds in fields such as actuarial science, law, and accounting.
Completing the executive lineup is the Managing Trustee, currently David Koross, who serves as an ex officio member and the fund’s chief executive.
Together, these trustees act as the legal custodians of the fund, responsible for maintaining transparency and protecting the retirement savings of millions of Kenyan workers.