Kenyan legislation

Pensions Act

Edition: 2022-12-31 · In force

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1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Pensions Act.

2. Interpretation

(1)In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—"African District Council service" means service before the 30th April, 1963 under an African District Council established under the African District Councils Act, 1950 (repealed);"General Fund Services" means services which were being administered by the East African Community on behalf of the Republic of Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Sovereign State of Uganda under the provisions of Article 43(2) of the Treaty for East African Co-operation, as listed in the Sixth Schedule to this Act;"local authority service" means service on or after the 30th April, 1963 under a local authority established or deemed to have been established under the Local Government Act (Cap. 265);"Cabinet Secretary" means the Cabinet Secretary responsible for matters relating to finance;"other public service" means public service not under the Government;"Overseas Superannuation Scheme" means the United Kingdom scheme to establish a fund to provide service pensions and gratuities and pensions to dependants on a contributory basis for overseas research and allied services;"pensionable emoluments" means—

(a)in respect of service under the Government after the 31st December, 1953, includes salary, inducement and overseas addition to salary and personal allowance, but does not include duty allowance, house allowance, entertainment allowance or any other emoluments whatever;

(b)in respect of service under the Government between the 1st January, 1946 and the 31st December, 1953, includes salary and personal allowance, but does not include duty allowance, house allowance, entertainment allowance or any other emoluments whatever;

(c)for the purpose of calculating the aggregate pensionable emoluments of officers in respect of service under the Government before the 1st January, 1946, means—

(i)in the case of an officer who before the 1st January, 1946 held a pensionable office in which he had been confirmed, the emoluments which were pensionable under the European Officers’ Pensions Act (Cap. 66 of 1948) or the Non-European Officers’ Pensions Act (Cap. 67 of 1948) (both repealed), as the case may be; and

(ii)in the case of an officer who before the 1st January,1946 held a non-pensionable office or a pensionable office in which he had not been confirmed—

(a)the emoluments of the office which would have been pensionable emoluments under the European Officers’ Pensions Act or the Non-European Officers’ Pensions Act, as the case may be, if the office had been a pensionable office and the officer had been confirmed therein;

(b)if the officer does not come within the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subparagraph, the salary of the officer together with any house allowance for which he may have been eligible under the terms and conditions of his appointment;

(c)in respect of other public service, means emoluments which count for pension in accordance with the law or regulations in force in such service;

"pensionable office" means—

(a)in respect of an officer’s service under the Government, an office—

(i)to which he has been appointed (on probation or otherwise) by the authority having power for the time being to make appointments to the service of the Government on terms which include eligibility for the grant of a pension under this Act or under any Act repealed by this Act; and

(ii)which he has not ceased to hold on those terms;

(b)in respect of other public service, an office which is for the time being a pensionable office under the law or regulations in force in that service;

"Pensions Regulations" means the regulations contained in the First Schedule to this Act;"personal allowance" means a special addition to salary granted personally to the holder for the time being of the office, and which is specifically stated to be pensionable;"public service" means—

(a)service in a civil capacity under the Government or under the government of any other country or territory in the Commonwealth;

(b)service under the High Commission, the Organization, the Community, the East African Railways and Harbours Administration, the East African Posts and Telecommunications Administration, the East African Railways Corporation, the East African Harbours Corporation, the East African Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, the Kenya Railways Corporation or the Kenya Ports Authority;

(c)service which is pensionable—

(i)under the Overseas Superannuation Scheme;

(ii)under any Acts relating to the superannuation of teachers in the United Kingdom;

(iii)under a local authority in the United Kingdom; or

(iv)under the National Health Service of the United Kingdom;

(d)any other services that the president has determined to be public service for the purposes of this Act;

(e)except for the purposes of computation of a pension or gratuity and of section 9 of this Act, service in respect of which a pension may be granted under the Governors’ Pensions Act, 1957 (No. 5 & 6, Eliz. 2, c. 62) of the United Kingdom;

(f)service as the holder of the office of President, Vice-President, Justice of Appeal, Registrar, officer or servant of the Court of Appeal for East Africa; or

(g)service in the service of the Interim Commissioner for the West Indies;

"salary" means the salary attached to a pensionable office or, where provision is made for taking service in a non-pensionable office into account as pensionable service, the salary attached to that office;"service under the Community" does not include service in the service of the East African Airways Corporation or of the East African Development Bank;"service of the Government" or "service under the Government" means public service in a civil capacity in the establishment of the Government or, at any time before the 12th December, 1964, of a Region, and also includes—

(a)in the case of an officer who has served as a civilian employee of the East African Land Forces Organization and was either transferred from that service to the service of the Government of Kenya, Uganda or Tanganyika or the High Commission or secured an appointment with any one of those Governments or the High Commission, in either case without any break in service, his service with the East African Land Forces Organization;

(b)in the case of the service prior to the 1st July, 1977 of a former Community employee who was on the 1st July, 1977 a Kenya citizen and who had rendered pensionable service in the General Fund Services, such service; and

(c)such service in the General Fund Services of such former Community employees who do not come within paragraph (b) above as the Cabinet Secretary may, from time to time, by order declare to be service under the Government;

"wife" includes, in the case of an officer under whose religion or tribal custom polygamy is lawful, any person to whom the officer is lawfully married in accordance with the tenets of that religion or tribal custom; and in any such case the amount of any pension, gratuity or other allowance for which a wife is eligible under this Act shall be divided equally among all such wives during the period in which there is more than one wife eligible therefor; and "widow" shall be construed accordingly.

(2)For the avoidance of doubt, it is declared that where an officer has been confirmed in a pensionable office and is thereafter appointed to another pensionable office then, unless the terms of that appointment otherwise require, the last-mentioned office is, for the purposes of this Act, an office in which he has been confirmed.

(3)Where it appears to the President that there is no satisfactory proof of the correct age of an officer or of any child, the President may, upon such evidence as he may think fit, presume the age of the officer or of the child, and that presumed age shall be taken to be the correct age of the officer or of the child for the purposes of this Act.[Act No. 54 of 1951, s. 2, Act No. 43 of 1958, s. 2, Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 2, Act No. 13 of 1963, s. 2, Act No. 10 of 1965, s. 2, Act No. 10 of 1979, s. 2, Act No. 12 of 1950, Act No. 4 of 2018, Sch.]

3. Power to grant pensions

(1)Pension, gratuities and other allowances may be granted by the Cabinet Secretary*, in accordance with the Pensions Regulations, to officers who have been in the service of the Government.^{*Power delegated to the Principal Pensions Officer of the Pensions Division of the Treasury, by L.N. 317 of 1974.}

(2)The Pensions Regulations may be amended by regulations made by the President.

(3)Whenever the President is satisfied that it is equitable that any regulations made under this section should have retrospective effect in order to confer a benefit upon or remove a disability attaching to any person, they may be given retrospective effect for that purpose:Provided that no such regulations shall have retrospective effect unless they have received the prior approval of the National Assembly signified by resolution.

(4)All regulations made under this section shall have the same force and effect as if they were contained in the First Schedule to this Act.

(5)Any pension or gratuity granted under this Act shall be computed in accordance with subsections (1), (2) and (3) of section 112 of the Constitution.[Act No. 39 of 1956, s. 5, L.N. 397/1956, Sch., L.N. 173/1960, L.N. 77/1964.]

4. Benefits charged on Consolidated Fund

All pensions, gratuities or other allowances granted under this Act shall be a charge on the Consolidated Fund.[L.N. 77/1964, Sch.]

5. Pensions as of right

(1)Every officer shall have an absolute right to pension and gratuity.

(2)The right conferred under subsection (1) shall not apply in respect of compensation for past services, nor shall anything in this Act affect the right of the Government to dismiss any officer at any time and without compensation.

(3)Where an officer has completed ten years of pensionable service, the benefits accruing to the officer under this Act shall vest in that officer and shall become payable in such manner and at such times as may be determined under this Act.[Act No. 4 of 1999, s. 54, Act No. 4 of 2018, Sch.]

6. Circumstances in which pensions may be granted

(1)No pension, gratuity or other allowance shall be granted under this Act to any officer except on his retirement from the public service in one of the following cases—

(a)

(i)in the case of a super scale officer, who between the 13th August, 1968 and 30th June, 1971, or in the case of an officer serving in Job Group L or above or a teacher in a comparable salary scale, who on or between the 1st July, 1971 and the 13th August, 1985, completes not less than ten years public service or attains the age of forty-five within the period commencing on the 13th August, 1968 and ending on the 13th August, 1985;

(ii)in the case of an officer serving in Job Group L or above or a teacher in a comparable salary scale who on or between the 14th August, 1985 and the 13th August, 1990, completes not less than ten years service and, in addition, attains the age of forty-five years within the period commencing on the 14th August, 1985 and ending on the 13th August, 1990:Provided that the application of the officer to retire from the public service shall be submitted and approved in accordance with the procedure outlined in Personnel Circular No. 19 of 13th August, 1968 as amended or replaced from time to time;

(iii)where the officer completes not less than five years of pensionable service;

(iv)in any other case not falling within the succeeding paragraphs of this subsection, on or after attaining the age of fifty years.

(b)in the case of transfer to other public service, in circumstances in which he is permitted by law or regulations of the service in which he is last employed to retire on pension or gratuity:Provided that, if his service in that other public service is superannuated under the Egerton Agricultural College Retirement Benefits Scheme, which came into operation on 1st July, 1966, the Federated Superannuation System for Universities, or a similar insurance scheme, he has retired on one of the grounds mentioned in paragraphs (a), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of this section;

(c)on the abolition of his office;

(d)on compulsory retirement for the purpose of facilitating improvement in the Organization of the department to which he belongs, by which greater efficiency or economy may be effected;

(e)on medical evidence, to the satisfaction of the President, that he is incapable by reason of any infirmity of mind or body of discharging the duties of his office and that the infirmity is likely to be permanent;

(f)in the case of service under the Government, on termination of employment in the public interest as provided in this Act, or, in the case of transfer to other public service, on termination of employment in the public interest under a corresponding provision in any law or regulation relating to the grant of pensions in respect of public service;

(g)on retirement in circumstances not mentioned in the preceding paragraphs of this section, rendering him eligible for a pension under the Governors’ Pensions Act, 1957 (No. 5 & 6, Eliz. 2, c. 62) of the United Kingdom or under any Act wholly repealed by that Act;

(h)in the case of—

(i)police officers who are subordinate officers;

(ii)prison officers below the rank of chief warder, chief warder artisan or chief warder clerk;

(iii)administration police officers of or below the rank of senior sergeant; and

(iv)forest guards grades I, II and III,on the completion, in the public service of a period exceeding twelve years but not exceeding twenty years where the officer gives at least one month’s notice in writing of his intention to retire:Provided that—

(i)a gratuity may be granted to a female officer, in accordance with this Act, who resigns on or with a view to marriage or is required to retire on account of her marriage, notwithstanding that she is not otherwise eligible under this section for the grant of any pension, gratuity or other allowance;

(ii)a pension, gratuity or other allowance may be granted in accordance with this Act to an officer on his retirement on or after the 1st January, 1946 from African District Council service or on his retirement on or after the 30th April, 1963 from local authority service to which he has been transferred, notwithstanding that there is no provision in that service for the retirement of the officer on pension or gratuity, if the circumstances in which the officer so retires are circumstances in which, had he remained in the service of the Government, he would have been eligible for a pension, gratuity or other allowance under this Act.

(2)For the purposes of paragraph (a)(i) of subsection (1)—"Job Group L" means the salary scale of that designation set out in Personnel Circular No. 6 of 26th May, 1971 and any amendments or additions thereto;"super scale officer" means an officer who was remunerated under any of the salary super scales set out in the Establishment Circular No. 18 of 28th March, 1961 and any amendments or additions thereto.[Act No. 2 of 1951, s. 2, Act No. 54 of 1951, s. 3, Act No. 45 of 1954, s. 2, Act No. 65 of 1954, s. 2, Act No. 43 of 1958, s. 3, Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 4, Act No. 10 of 1965, s. 2, L.N. 77/1964, Sch., Act No. 10 of 1979, s. 3, Act No. 5 of 1983, s. 2, Act No. 20 of 1985, s. 2, Act No. 4 of 1999, s. 55.]

7. Retirement on abolition of office

Where an officer eligible for any period of leave retires from the public service on the abolition of his office, he shall be deemed to continue in the public service in that office until the expiration of a period equal to that period of leave, or until his death, whichever occurs first, and for the purposes of computing pension, gratuity or other allowance under this Act the effective date of his retirement shall be the date on which the period of leave expires.[Act No. 13 of 1963, s. 4.]

8. Termination of service in public interest

Where an officer’s service is terminated on the grounds that, having regard to the conditions of the public service, the usefulness of the officer thereto and all the other circumstances of the case, termination is desirable in the public interest, and a pension, gratuity or other allowance cannot otherwise be granted to him under this Act, the President may grant a pension, gratuity or other allowance, not exceeding in amount that for which the officer would be eligible if he retired from the public service in the circumstances described in paragraph (e) of section 6.[Act No. 45 of 1954, s. 3, L.N. 77/1964, Sch.]

9. Compulsory retirement

(1)The President may require an officer to retire from the service of the Government—

(a)

(i)deleted by Act No. 5 of 1983, s. 3;

(ii)deleted by Act No. 5 of 1983, s. 3;

(iii)in the case of an officer referred to in section 6(h), on the completion of twelve, sixteen or twenty years’ public service as such an officer, provided he is, within a period of three months next before or after the completion of the period of twelve, sixteen or twenty years’ public service, as the case may be, notified in writing of the intention to require him to retire;

(iv)in any other case, at any time after the officer attains the age of fifty years.

(b)in the case of a female officer, whether or not paragraph (a) applies, on account of her marriage.

(2)This section shall not apply to a judge.[Act No. 65 of 1954, s. 3, Act No. 43 of 1958, s. 4, Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 6, Act No. 5 of 1983, s. 3.]

10. Minimum and maximum pensions

A pension granted to an officer under this Act shall not be less than two thousand shillings or such other amount as may be specified by the President from time to time, but shall not exceed the full pensionable emoluments drawn by the officer at the time of his retirement.[Act No. 7 of 1990, Sch., Act No. 9 of 2007, s. 31.]

10A. Deferment of pension

(1)Where an officer retires from the public service before attaining the age of fifty years, the payment of the pension benefits granted at the time of retirement shall be deferred until such officer attains the age of fifty years, except in the following cases—

(a)where the officer retires before completion of ten years of service;

(b)where an officer retires under section 6(1)(e) or (h); or

(c)where sections 17, 18, or 19 apply.

(2)The pension payable where any deferment of payment arises under subsection (1) shall be estimated based on projected pensionable emoluments from the date of retirement until the officer attains the age of fifty years, according to such procedures as may be specified in regulations.[Act No. 4 of 1999, s. 56.]

11. Liability of pensioner to be called upon to take further employment

(1)Every pension granted under this Act shall be subject to the condition that, unless or until the officer attains the age of fifty years, he may, if physically fit for service, be called upon to accept an office in the service of the Government not less in value than the office which he held at the date of his retirement; and, where a pensioner so called upon declines to accept that office, the payment of his pension may be suspended until he has attained the age of fifty years.

(2)Subsection (1) shall not apply in any case where the President, being of opinion that the officer is not qualified for other employment in the public service or that there is no reason to expect that he can be shortly re-employed therein, otherwise directs.[Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 8, L.N. 77/1964, Sch.]

12. Suspension of pension on re-employment

Where an officer to whom a pension has been granted under this Act is appointed to another office in the public service, the payment of his pension, or any part thereof, may, with his consent, if the President thinks fit, be suspended during the period of his re-employment.[Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 9.]

13. Pensions, etc., not assignable

A pension, gratuity or other allowance granted under this Act shall not be assignable or transferable except for the purposes of satisfying—

(a)a debt due to the Government; or

(b)an order of any court for the payment of periodical sums of money towards the maintenance of the wife, or former wife, or minor child, of the officer to whom the pension, gratuity or other allowance has been granted,

and shall not be liable to be attached, sequestered or levied upon for or in respect of any debt or claim whatever except a debt due to the Government.

14. Pensions, etc., to cease on bankruptcy

(1)Where before the 1st July, 1999 any person to whom a pension or other allowance has been granted under this Act is adjudicated bankrupt or is declared insolvent by judgment of a court, then the pension or allowance shall forthwith cease.

(2)Where any officer is adjudicated bankrupt or declared insolvent by judgment of a court as provided in subsection (1) either—

(a)after retirement in circumstances in which he is eligible for pension, gratuity or other allowance under this Act, but before the pension, gratuity or other allowance is granted; or

(b)before such retirement, and he has not obtained his discharge from bankruptcy or insolvency at the date of retirement,

then, in the former case, any pension or other allowance eventually granted to him shall cease as from the date of adjudication or declaration, as the case may be, and in the latter case the pension or other allowance may be granted, but shall cease forthwith and not become payable, and in either case the gratuity may be granted but shall not be paid to him.

(3)Where a pension or other allowance ceases, or where any gratuity is not paid, by reason of this section, the President may from time to time during the remainder of the person’s life, or during such shorter period or periods, either continuous or discontinuous, as the President thinks fit, direct all or any part of the moneys to which that person would have been entitled by way of pension, gratuity or other allowance, had he not become bankrupt or insolvent, to be paid to, or applied for the maintenance or benefit of, all or any, to the exclusion of the other or others, of the following, that is to say, such person and his wife, child or children, or such other dependants as the President may determine, in such proportion and manner as the President thinks proper; and the moneys shall be paid or applied accordingly.

(4)Moneys applied for the discharge of debts of the person whose pension or other allowance has ceased, or whose gratuity has not been paid, by reason of this section, shall, for the purposes of this section, be regarded as applied for his benefit.

(5)Where a person whose pension or other allowance has ceased, or whose gratuity has not been paid, by reason of this section, obtains his discharge from bankruptcy or insolvency, the President may direct that the pension or other allowance shall be restored and the gratuity, or so much thereof (if any) as remains after deducting any payments made under subsection (3), paid as from the date of the discharge or any later date; and the pension or other allowance shall be restored, and the gratuity or remainder thereof (if any) paid, accordingly.[L.N. 77/1964, Sch., Act No. 4 of 1999, s. 57.]

15. Pensions, etc., may cease on conviction

(1)Where before the 1st July, 1999 any person to whom a pension or other allowance has been granted under this Act is sentenced to a term of imprisonment by a competent court for any offence, that pension or allowance shall, if the President so directs, cease as from such date as the President determines.

(2)Where before the 1st July, 1999 any officer is sentenced to a term of imprisonment by a court for any offence after retirement in circumstances in which he is eligible for pension, gratuity or other allowance under this Act but before the pension, gratuity or other allowance is granted, then—

(a)subsection (1) shall apply as respects any pension or other allowance which may be granted to him; and

(b)the President may direct that any gratuity which may be granted to him shall not be paid.

(3)Where a pension or other allowance ceases, or a gratuity is not paid, by reason of this section, the President may direct all or any part of the moneys to which that person would have been entitled by way of pension, gratuity or other allowance, but for this section, to be paid or applied in the same manner in all respects as is provided in section 13; and the moneys shall be paid or applied accordingly.

(4)Where any person whose pension or other allowance ceases, or whose gratuity is not paid, by reason of this section, after conviction at any time receives a free pardon, the pension or allowance shall be restored with retrospective effect, or his gratuity shall be paid; but in determining whether arrears of the pension or allowance are payable to that person, and in computing the amount thereof and the amount of any gratuity, account shall be taken of all moneys paid or applied under subsection (3).[L.N. 77/1964, Sch., Act No. 4 of 1999, s. 58.]

16. Pensions, etc., on accepting certain appointments

Where any person to whom a pension or other allowance has been granted under this Act, otherwise than under section 19 before the 1st July, 1999, becomes either a director of any company the principal part of whose business is in any way directly concerned with Kenya, or an officer or servant employed in Kenya by any such company, without the prior permission in writing of the President, that pension or allowance shall cease if the President so directs:Provided that the President may, on being satisfied that the person in respect of whose pension or other allowance any such direction has been given has ceased to be a director of the company, or to be employed as an officer or servant of the company in Kenya, as the case may be, give directions for the restoration of the pension or allowance, with retrospective effect, if he thinks fit, to such a date as he may specify; and the pension or other allowance shall be restored accordingly.[Act No. 4 of 1999, s. 59.]

16A. Pensioner to be retained in service pending payment of gratuity

A person to whom a pension or other allowance is payable under this Act shall be entitled to be retained in the service until the payment in full of the gratuity payable to him consequent upon the exercise by him of his option to receive such gratuity under the provisions of this Act.[Act No. 6 of 2003, s. 2.]

17. Pensions to dependants on death of officer in service or on retirement

(1)Subject to the other provisions of this Act—

(a)where an officer who has had ten or more years’ service dies after he has retired from the service of the Government having been granted a pension under this Act, there shall continue to be paid a dependants’ pension, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in subsection (2), to the widow or the children of the officer for a period of five years next following the date of the officer’s death, at the rate of the officer’s pension at the date of his death;

(b)where a pensionable officer who has served the Government for ten or more years dies while in the service, the President may grant to the widow or the children of the officer, in addition to any grant made under section 18, a dependants’ pension, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in subsection (2), for a period of five years next following the date of the officer’s death at a rate not exceeding the amount of any pension that could have been granted to the officer if he had retired on medical grounds on the date of his death:

Provided that in the event of a widow to whom a dependants’ pension has been granted under the provisions of this subsection dying or otherwise ceasing to be entitled to the pension, the child or children who are entitled, in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in subsection (2), to a dependants’ pension shall be entitled in accordance with those terms and conditions to receive the dependants’ pension for the remainder of the period of five years from the officer’s death which is still outstanding at the date on which the widow dies or otherwise ceases to be entitled to the dependants’ pension.

(2)For the purposes of subsection (1), a dependants’ pension shall be paid on the following terms and subject to the following conditions—

(a)if the deceased officer leaves a widow, whether or not he also leaves any children, the widow shall for so long as she is alive and remains unmarried be entitled to receive the whole of the dependants’ allowance at the appropriate rate provided for under subsection (1);

(b)if the deceased officer does not leave a widow or if within the period of five years during which the dependants’ pension is payable under this section the deceased’s widow dies or remarries, any child or children of the deceased who is or are entitled at the appropriate date to receive the dependants’ pension shall be entitled to receive (and if more than one child, in equal shares) the dependants’ pension at the appropriate rate provided for under subsection (1):Provided that—

(i)a dependants’ pension or a share thereof shall not be payable under this subsection at any time to any child who has attained the age of twenty-one years unless, and only during the time that, the child is receiving full-time education at a university, college, school or other educational establishment which is approved by the President for the purposes of this section;

(ii)a dependants’ pension or share thereof granted to a female child under this subsection shall cease upon the marriage of that child at any age;

(iii)in the event of any child ceasing under any of the provisions of this proviso to be entitled to a share of a dependants’ pension, his or her share shall from the date of cessation be divided equally between all the other children then still entitled to receive the pension and if only one child then remains so entitled shall be paid to him;

(iv)for the avoidance of doubt it is declared that no dependants’ pension or share thereof shall be payable at any time after the fifth anniversary of an officer’s death.

(3)No dependants’ pension shall be payable under this section in respect of any officer who has not had at least ten years’ service with the Government and every pension or other allowance granted under any other provision of this Act to any such officer shall, unless it has ceased earlier, cease absolutely on the death of the officer.[Act No. 10 of 1979, s. 4.]

18. Gratuity where officer dies in service or after retirement

(1)Where an officer holding a pensionable office who is not on probation or agreement, or an officer holding a non-pensionable office to which he has been transferred from a pensionable office in which he has been confirmed, dies while serving under the Government, the President may grant to his legal personal representative, or, in case the gratuity does not exceed ten thousand shillings, to such person as the President shall name as the recipient, a gratuity of an amount not exceeding twice the amount of his annual pensionable emoluments or his commuted pension gratuity, if any, whichever is the greater.

(2)Where an officer dies after retirement from service under the Government having been granted, or having become eligible for a pension under this Act and the sums paid or payable to him at the date of his death on account of that pension, including any sum awarded by way of gratuity under regulation 27 of the Pensions Regulations and any pension or gratuity paid or payable in respect of his service under any scheduled government (as defined in regulation 8 of the Pensions Regulations) but excluding any additional pension awarded in accordance with regulation 25(1)(ii) of the Pensions Regulations, are less in total than twice the amount of his annual pensionable emoluments, the President may grant a gratuity equal to the deficiency to his legal personal representative or, where that gratuity does not exceed ten thousand shillings, to such person as the President shall name as the recipient.

(3)This section shall not apply in the case of the death of any officer where benefits corresponding to the benefits which may be granted under this section are payable under the Oversea Superannuation Scheme in respect of such death.

(4)In this section—

(a)"annual pensionable emoluments" means the emoluments taken for the purpose of computing any pension or gratuity granted to the officer under this Act, or in the case of such officer as is described in subsection (1), the emoluments which would have been taken in accordance with regulation 20 of the Pensions Regulations for the purpose of computing the pension or gratuity that would have been granted to the officer if, on the day following the date of his death, he had retired from the public service in circumstances which enabled the grant to be made; and

(b)"commuted pension gratuity" means the gratuity, if any, which might have been granted to the officer under regulation 27 of the Pensions Regulations if his pensionable service had been wholly in Kenya and if on the day following the date of his death he had retired from the public service on the ground of ill health and had elected to receive a gratuity and reduced pension.

(5)For the purposes of this section, any officer, other than an officer who has been confirmed in his office, who dies in the circumstances mentioned in section 19(1) shall be deemed to have been confirmed in his office.[Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 10, Act No. 10 of 1965, s. 5, Act No. 10 of 1979, s. 5, Act No. 13 of 1980, Sch.]

19. Pension to dependants when officer killed on duty

(1)Where an officer dies as a result of injuries received—

(a)in the actual discharge of his duty; and

(b)without his own default; and

(c)on account of circumstances specifically attributable to the nature of his duty,

while in the service of the Government, the President may grant, in addition to the grant, if any, made to his legal personal representative under section 18—

(i)if the deceased officer leaves a widow, a pension to her, while unmarried and of good character, at a rate not exceeding ten- sixtieths of his annual pensionable emoluments at the date of the injury or sixty pounds a year, whichever is the greater;

(ii)if the deceased officer leaves a widow to whom a pension is granted under paragraph (i) and a child or children, a pension in respect of each child, until he attains the age of twenty-one years, of an amount not exceeding one-eighth of the pension specified in that paragraph;

(iii)if the deceased officer leaves a child or children but does not leave a widow or no pension is granted to the widow, a pension in respect of each child, until he attains the age of twenty-one years, of double the amount specified in paragraph (ii);

(iv)if the deceased officer leaves a child or children and a widow to whom a pension is granted under paragraph (i) and the widow subsequently dies, a pension in respect of each child, as from the date of the death of the widow and until that child attains the age of twenty-one years, of double the amount specified in paragraph (ii);

(v)if the deceased officer does not leave a widow, or if no pension is granted to the widow, and if his mother was wholly or mainly dependent on him for her support a pension to the mother, while of good character and without adequate means of support, of an amount not exceeding the pension which might have been granted to his widow:Provided that—

(i)a pension shall not be payable under this subsection at any time in respect of more than six children, and where there are more than six children in respect of whom, but for this proviso, a pension would be payable, then the amount payable in respect of six children shall be divided equally among all the children during the period in which there are more than six children of pensionable age;

(ii)in the case of a pension granted under subparagraph (v), if the mother is a widow at the time of the grant of the pension and subsequently remarries, the pension shall cease as from the date of the remarriage; and, if it appears to the President at any time that the mother is adequately provided with other means of support, the pension shall cease as from such date as the President may determine;

(iii)a pension granted to a female child under this section shall cease upon her marriage under the age of twenty-one years.

(2)For the purposes of this section—

(a)an officer who dies as a result of injuries received while travelling by air in pursuance of official instructions shall be deemed to have died as the result of injuries received—

(i)in the actual discharge of his duty; and

(ii)on account of circumstances specifically attributable to the nature of his duty;

(b)an officer proceeding by a route approved by the President to or from Kenya at the commencement or termination of his service therein, or of a period of secondment, duty or leave therefrom, who dies as the result of damage to the vessel, aircraft or vehicle in which he is travelling, or of any act of violence directed against the vessel, aircraft or vehicle, shall, if the President is satisfied that the damage or act is attributable to circumstances arising out of any war in which the Republic may be engaged, be deemed to have died as the result of injuries received—

(i)in the actual discharge of his duty; and

(ii)without his own default; and

(iii)on account of circumstances specifically attributable to the nature of his duty.

(3)In the case of an officer not holding a pensionable office, "pensionable emoluments" in this section means the emoluments enjoyed by him which would have been pensionable emoluments if the office held by him had been a pensionable office.

(4)For the purposes of this section "child" includes—

(a)a posthumous child;

(b)a step-child or illegitimate child born before the date of the injury and wholly or mainly dependent upon the deceased officer for support; and

(c)an adopted child, adopted in a manner recognised by law before the date of the injury, and wholly or mainly dependent upon the deceased officer for support.

(5)This section shall not apply in the case of the death of any officer—

(a)if his dependants, as defined in any written law relating to workmen’s compensation, are entitled to compensation under any such law or to compensation under any such law where no pension is paid under this section; or

(b)where benefits corresponding to the benefits granted by this section are payable under the Oversea Superannuation Scheme in respect of such death.

[Act No. 45 of 1954, s. 5, Act No. 26 of 1962, s. 11, L.N. 77/1964, Sch., Act No. 5 of 1983, s. 4.]

19A. Payment of dependant’s pension

A dependant’s pension payable under the foregoing sections shall be paid to the dependants within a period of ninety (90) days after the death of the officer concerned, failing which interest shall accrue thereon at bank rates until payment is made in full:Provided that no interest shall be payable under this section where the failure to pay is occasioned by legal proceedings in respect of the payment.[Act No. 6 of 2003, s. 3.]

20. Application of Act

(1)This Act shall apply—

(a)to every officer appointed to the service of the Government on or after the 3rd September, 1948 otherwise than on transfer from other public service;

(b)subject to the Second Schedule, to every officer—

(i)transferred to the service of the Government on or after the 3rd September, 1948 from other public service; or

(ii)in the service of the Government before the 3rd September, 1948 who, in accordance with Government Secretariat Circular No. 68 of the 1st October, 1948, elected or is deemed to have elected for the new terms of service contained in that circular and any amendments thereto; or

(iii)transferred from the service of the Government to other public service before the 1st January, 1946 who retires from the public service subsequent to that date;

(c)to every officer to whom Government Secretariat Circular No. 69 of the 1st October, 1948 and any amendments and additions thereto applies.

(2)This Act shall not apply to -

(a)a person who, at the commencement of the Public Service Superannuation Scheme Act (Cap. 189A), is employed in the public service on permanent and pensionable establishment and has not attained the age of forty-five years;

(b)a person who joins service of the Government after the commencement of the Public Service Superannuation Scheme Act (Cap. 189A); or

(c)a person in the service of the Government at the commencement of the Public Service Superannuation Scheme Act (Cap. 189A), who elects within such period as may be specified by or under the Public Service Superannuation Scheme Act (Cap. 189A), that the provisions of that Act shall apply to him.

[Act No. 8 of 2012, s. 57.]

21. Power to amend Second and Third Schedules

(1)If any difficulty arises in bringing into operation any of the provisions of the Second Schedule or in giving effect to the purposes thereof, the President may, by order, amend the Second Schedule or the Third Schedule for the purpose of removing the difficulty, or of conferring a benefit upon, or removing a disability attached to, any officer or class of officer.

(2)Any order made under this section may be given retrospective effect to a day not earlier than the commencement of this Act:Provided that no such order shall have retrospective effect unless it has received the prior approval of the National Assembly signified by resolution.

(3)All orders made under this section shall be laid before the National Assembly.[Act No. 45 of 1954, s. 6, L.N. 77/1964, Sch.]

22. Questions to be determined by President

Where any question exists in relation to any matter arising under this Act, that question may be determined by the President.[L.N. 77/1964, Sch.]

23. Officer retiring under limited scheme or general scheme for non- designated officers

(1)This Act (including the First Schedule) in its application to an officer who retires from the public service under the limited scheme of retirement or the general scheme of retirement for non-designated officers or in the case of a deceased officer, who so retired or was qualified so to retire before his death, shall be subject to the modifications specified in Part I or Part II, as the case may be, of the Fourth Schedule:Provided that—

(i)the general scheme of retirement shall have no application to an officer in the public service who is a citizen of Kenya, and shall be deemed to have ceased to apply to any such officer after the 18th January, 1966;

(ii)subject to subparagraph (i), the general scheme of retirement shall continue to apply to any person who, being an officer holding a pensionable office in the service of the Government to whom the provisions of the scheme apply or would have applied, is transferred on or after the 1st July, 1971 to the employment of the Commission referred to in subsection (2) of section 22 and such person shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be an officer in the service of the Government during the period of his employment by the Commission in a pensionable office.

(2)In this section and in the Fourth Schedule, "the limited scheme of retirement" and "the general scheme of retirement" mean the schemes of retirement for non-designated officers attached to Service Circular No. 27 of the 27th October, 1962 (including any amendments thereto) and Personnel Circular No. 11 of the 1st May, 1963 (including any amendments thereto) respectively.[Act No. 10 of 1965, s. 5, Act No. 16 of 1966, s. 6, Act No. 10 of 1979, s. 6.]

24. Pensions, etc., for certain teachers

(1)This Act (including the First Schedule but excluding the Second, Third and Fourth Schedules) shall, subject to the modifications thereof contained in the Fifth Schedule, apply to a teacher, and a teacher shall, for the purposes of this Act and during his approved service in Kenya, be deemed to be an officer in the service of the Government.

(2)For the purposes of this section and the Fifth Schedule—"approved service" means such service as the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for education may, after consultation with the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for finance, declare to be approved service for the purposes of this Act;"Commission" means the Teachers Service Commission established by the Teachers Service Commission Act (Cap. 212);"teacher" means—

(a)any person who, before the 1st August, 1962, was a contributor to the Fund established under the African Teachers Service (Contributory Pensions Fund) Regulations (L.N. 390/1957 now revoked) and who was eligible to exercise an option under Education Circular No. 3 of 1962 dated the 18th October, 1962;

(b)any person who was a contributor to the Group Pension Scheme referred to in Education Circular No. 10 of 1963 dated the 9th October, 1963 and who was eligible to exercise an option under that Circular;

(c)any person who—

(i)being an African, was appointed on or after the 1st August, 1962 to the Teachers Service established under the Teachers Service Act (repealed); or

(ii)not being an African, but being a teacher for the purposes of the Teachers Service Act—

(a)was appointed to an aided school as a teacher before the 1st January, 1964 and was not eligible to contribute to the Group Pension Scheme referred to in Education Circular No. 10 of 1963 dated the 9th October, 1963; or

(b)was appointed to an aided school as a teacher on or after the 1st January, 1964:

Provided that no such person shall be eligible for the grant of a pension or gratuity under this Act unless he is a citizen of Kenya;

(d)any citizen of Kenya who, being a teacher for the purposes of the Teachers Service Act, is employed as a teacher in any school in Kenya which is an unaided school;

(e)any citizen of Kenya who, having been registered as a teacher by the Commission, was employed as a teacher by the Commission on or after the 23rd January, 1967;

(f)any citizen of Kenya who, having been registered as a teacher by the Commission, was employed as a teacher by any employer other than the Commission on or after the 23rd January, 1967.

[Act No. 32 of 1966, s. 2, Act No. 49 of 1968, s. 3.]

Source: Kenya Law · Imported 4 October 2026