NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 12 – Standard Chartered Bank Kenya has moved to settle a long-running Sh7 billion pension dispute involving 629 former employees, following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Retirement Benefits Appeals Tribunal (RBAT) judgement in favour of the pensioners.
The case, Abdalla Osman and 628 Others vs. Retirement Benefits Authority and 11 Others, dates back to 2021 and centred on claims of underpaid benefits by former workers of the lender.
In April 2022, the tribunal ruled in favour of the retirees, directing the bank to make full payments.
Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed an application by StanChart seeking to halt a Court of Appeal ruling that directed the bank to pay billions in pension dues owed to its former employees.
Supreme Court Vice President and Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu ruled that the apex court could not invoke Article 163(4)(a) of the Constitution on the basis of mere allegations of constitutional violations.
The provision grants the court powers to hear appeals from the Court of Appeal only in cases involving constitutional interpretation or application.
The Supreme Court’s decision has now cleared the way for compensation.
“We will commence the process of collecting the requisite information of the Appellants in the above appeal for the purpose of verification and subsequently processing claims arising out of the judgement from Monday, 22 September 2025,” the bank’s Pension Fund Chairman David Ong’olo said in a public notice.
The verification exercise will take place at Almary Green Business Park, off U.S.I.U Road in Nairobi, where former employees or their beneficiaries are required to present key identification and employment records.
“We are committed to ensuring a seamless verification and payment process for the 629 Appellants in RBAT No. 8 of 2021.”
Earlier,the lender said it had already initiated structured engagements with over 600 ex-employees to execute the judgment.
The settlement marks one of the largest pension payouts in Kenya’s banking sector and brings closure to a protracted four-year legal battle that has tested Kenya’s retirement benefits dispute resolution framework.
Kenya has seen a rise in pension-related litigation in recent years, with former employees of companies such as BAT Kenya and Telkom Kenya also turning to the courts to seek redress.
Standard Chartered said the process will also cater for deceased appellants through their estate administrators, who must provide letters of administration, proof of relationship to the deceased, and employment records.
Beneficiaries and dependants will similarly be required to verify their identities and bank details.
The lender has set up a helpline and dedicated email to handle claimant queries throughout the process, which will run on weekdays between 9am and 3pm.
