BY STAFF REPORTER
GOVERNMENT yesterday said it was embarking on a biometric life certificate verification exercise of its pensioners to strengthen the pension management system and avoid payment of “ghost pensioners”.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) in a statement yesterday, said: “As part of the broad public sector reforms, specifically information communication technology and modernisation, government has observed that the biometric attributes of some of the pensioners, do not appear in the Registrar-General’s database.
“To strengthen the pension management system in that regard, government is embarking on a biometric life certificate verification exercise. The benefits of the exercise to government and pensioners are as follows: a) avoiding payment to ghost pensioners; b) enhancing the security of the pension system to curb corruption; and c) enhancing service delivery.”
PSC said all pensioners with metal identity cards, but do not have valid passports, should visit the nearest Registrar-General’s offices to obtain plastic IDs so that their biometric data could be captured.
“Pensioners are requested to present a bank statement or pension payslip to prove that they are government pensioners. We expect this exercise to be completed by August 31, 2021. From October 1, 2021, only those with verified biometric data will be paid their pension,” the PSC said. “All pensioners are kindly advised to ensure that they have registered their biometrics to be compliant with this new requirement.”
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