The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has launched an investigation into the collapse of the Technical University of Kenya Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme (TUK SRBS) following a petition by affected workers. The petition alleges financial mismanagement spanning over a decade, resulting in losses amounting to Ksh5.3 billion.
Following the allegations, the Senate committee commenced an inquiry after officials from TUK appeared before it to address the concerns raised by staff members.
While testifying before the committee, University Academic Staff Union (UASU) TUK Chapter Secretary Fred Sawenja outlined a troubling sequence of events dating back to July 2009, shedding light on the mismanagement that led to the scheme's downfall.
The Technical University of Kenya Kenyans.co.ke He revealed that the university began deducting pension contributions from staff salaries without first establishing a registered scheme or governance structures. According to Sawenja, the scheme was only formally recognized by the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) in November 2013, yet concerns over remittances emerged almost immediately. ''By 2014, the union had already complained to the RBA about missing funds.