The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Judiciary have been directed to investigate suspected mismanagement within the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme.
This directive was issued by the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation (CII), which is chaired by Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie. The move followed a session held at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, during which the committee reviewed a petition filed by distressed KBC pensioners.
The petitioners raised concerns over unremitted staff deductions amounting to Ksh3.27 billion, as well as a contentious legal fee demand of Ksh1.4 billion. Committee members reportedly expressed alarm at the delay in pension remittances and described the legal charges linked to the recovery claim as “grossly inflated.”
Committee members were told by the scheme’s chairperson, Martin Nyongesa, that by early 2018, KBC had already defaulted on Ksh750 million in deductions.
The amount has since ballooned due to interest, prompting the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) to initiate a court-led liquidation process now scheduled for mention on September 25, 2025.
The MPs also questioned a legal claim by advocate Morara Omoke, who is demanding Ksh1.4 billion in fees for allegedly recovering Ksh18 billion for the scheme.
Nyongesa, however, disputed the claim, arguing there was no board resolution authorising the engagement and pointing out that “KBC itself is not even worth Ksh18 billion.”
The Committee termed the entire situation a clear case of exploitation and vowed to ensure justice for the pensioners.
In December last year, employees at the state-owned KBC raised alarm over two months of salary arrears that had destabilised the workforce.
Staff at the government broadcaster lamented their employer’s inability to pay their dues ahead of the Christmas holiday, faulting the company for not holding up their end of the bargain.
Their frustrations stemmed from the management's pledge to settle the two-month payments in an internal memo, but it appeared they were going to rescind that decision by then.
