The Supreme Court of Kenya has dismissed Standard Chartered Bank Kenya’s final appeal in a longstanding pension dispute, upholding a Retirement Benefits Appeals Tribunal (RBAT) ruling. This decision mandates the bank to refund billions in pension surpluses and recalculate benefits for 629 former employees.

• The Supreme Court struck out the appeal on September 5, 2025, citing lack of jurisdiction as the case did not involve constitutional interpretation.
• The dispute originated from a 1997 actuarial valuation revealing a KSh 1.536 billion surplus, which retirees argued was wrongly returned to the bank.
• The RBAT had ordered a refund of KSh 1.1 billion to the Standard Chartered Kenya Pension Fund, with interest accruing from February 2000, and recalculation of benefits to include cost-of-living adjustments and housing allowances, with arrears from March 2009.
• The total liability, including arrears and adjustments, is estimated to exceed KSh 7 billion.
• The case involved 629 former employees led by Abdalla Osman.