Teachers and Civil servants will now go for retirement after hitting age 55 if a bill that has been proposed to lower the retirement age sails through parliament.
According to Section 80(1) (a) and (b) of the Public Service Commission Act 2017 provides that a Public Officer shall retire from the service with effect from the date of attaining the mandatory retirement age.
The mandatory retirement age is currently 60 years and 65 years for those living with disabilities.
However the parliamentary committee is considering reducing the mandatory retirement age from the current 60 years to 55 to give young people an opportunity to be employed in the public service.
On Thursday August 3, the National Assembly’s Labour committee, while considering the Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023, said it will introduce an amendment to the proposed legislation to cap the retirement age at 55.
The Bill which is sponsored by Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru also seeks to amend the current Act by prescribing that no officer should be in any acting capacity beyond six months.
Kangundo MP Fabian Muli said if the committee is to serve the interest of the youth, then it should propose further amendments to the Bill to reduce the retirement age.
“We need to think further and reduce the age to 55 to make the youth of this country proud,” Mr Muli said.
He declared that should the committee fail to factor in the age reduction amendment, he would propose the change as an individual.
Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga said the committee needs to amend the necessary legal provisions on the retirement age.
“We need to get to know how the 60 years retirement age was arrived at so that we can amend those provisions,” Mr Chonga said.
Lunga Lunga MP Mangale Munga, while supporting the reduction of the retirement age, said there is a need to cater for the growth of young people.
“Why 60 years? It should be made 55 years old so as to make space for the young people. That is a proposal, it might be popular or unpopular but that is what I think,” Mr Munga said.
Mr Gathiru said: “I have given the committee leeway to amend the Bill but we should not lose the meaning and its intention,” Mr Gathiru said.
If the proposals sail through, it will mean that the majority of civil servants expected to retire in the next five years will go home earlier, a move that will have far-reaching implications, including burdening a government already struggling with finances through a heavier pension bill.
The mandatory retirement age was in 2009 raised from 55 to 60 years as the government struggled to cope with a growing pensions bill.
The National Treasury paid out Sh69.22 billion in pension and gratuity in the six months to December 2021
A 2016 audit showed that 35 per cent of employees in the national government were aged between 51 and 60 years.
According to the Public Service Commission (PSC) annual report for the Financial Year 2021/2022, a total of 3,958 officers exited the service in 47 ministries departments and agencies.T
he Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023 proposes that a person may be appointed in acting capacity for a period of at least 30 days but not exceeding six months.
According to the proposed legislation, a person will only be appointed to hold a public office in acting capacity after meeting all qualifications for that particular officer.
“An acting appointment shall be in favour of a public officer who is duly qualified and competent to perform the duty and not undermine the expeditious appointment or deployment of a competent person to the public office concerned,” reads the Bill
If one is appointed in acting capacity without the requisite qualifications, such appointment will be revoked by the Public Service Commission immediately.
Retirement bill is healthier than Finance Bill 2023/24
MPs should be bought in dozens to drag through the bill.
I will be at the corner stone yielding you CONGOLE
Create more job opportunities, revive industries, how does age prevent youths from getting jobs – do you people think? countries like Canada, USA people work to their old age and still need more manpower. Create more job opportunities stop hiding behind age.
Where will the thieves get money to pay lumpsum to the retirees?
Those who retired have not been been given pension.its now more than ayear Prompt pension the idea iko sawa .coz some are on loans.
What will happen to their loans watawalipia?
This Bill should fail.
Civil servants die every day, retire every year. Are they properly replaced?
How many vacancies are there in public service to cater for all those youths even if you dismiss all the public servants and employ the youths to take those positions?
When was the last time police i.e. Kenya police, GSU, APs, Prison officers, KWS, KFS recruitment was conducted yet many have died and others retired. We only hear of cadets recruitment.
The only recent transparent recruiter in Kenya is the Judiciary which employed many many youths.
Stop disturbing people who voted for you by rendering them poor and depressed following premature retirement yet this same parent is still servicing mortgage, educating these youths and taking care of his or her elderly parents in the guise of helping the youths. Explore other avenues to empower the youths because all of them can’t fit in public service.
This Bill should fail.
Even the age for being a member of parliament or any elective position should be capped at 55 years so that youths can have opportunity to vie for the seats and avoid tycoons who bribe their way to power at the age of 80
Good news
If retirement age is reduced to 55years, what will those who have loans do?
Following
How can you create a problem to solve a problem.Retire people who are poorly enumerated,so as to employ youths.Kenyan leaders should ask God for wisdom as King Solomon did.If they have to pass this bill,then politicians should be inclusive.How I wish statistics of all persons above 60 years is collected in both county and national government a cross the country,how many vacancies will be created for the youths?
The government should first find out how many people are above sixthy years and are still in offices in both county government and national government across the country. The government should also give valid reasons why contract personel after 60. The key solution to employment for youths is coming up with industries and reinstating the collapsed ones.
I support retirement at 55. You retire when you can actively engage in your activities as opposed to going home weak. I also feel persons with PWD should retire @55. They need to concentrate on their well being.
This more of retrenchment than retiring, the Late President was an economic GURU. He knew why extending the age would mean than paying the pension that amounts to Billions every year, those advocating for it are mere page boys and flower girls sent by their masters to test the waters, jib creating entails more than jz reducing retirement Age, create investor friendly environment, reduce taxes, establish industries, u will see that the million youths will get jobs, now one gets a job at 45 and u retire this person early despite his efforts to get education, what are you telling those young unemployed? This system has it’s priorities upside down, if this is the case the same age cap should cut across all professionals including politicians
MPs over 55 yes should include themselves in that category.We ought to think of how to create more jobs by working on barriers to trade & investment
So many civil servants have retired , majority have died, how come the haven’t been replaced, there is no way a fresh graduate can take a job of a job which requires many years experience,
Did we know that these youths we are giving jobs are the same old people we are prematurely removing from the jobs and all this is done by very very old lots believe they are more godsent than the rest!
The idea is deplorable!
It’s unfortunate that this leadership has lost it.
Creating a conducive environment for investors is key. Look at what is happening currently all investors are running away, the EPZs have closed doors already. Reason over taxation.
If industries are no more where will all of us take our raw materials!?
Rethink your strategies Ed put your house in order Kenya Govt.
Civil servants age limit cannot give that solution of millions of jobs creation for the youth.
#wheelbarrow regime is truly a failure
Well,if that is the case…let retirement age cap be 55 years for elective positions too.
Politicians in Kenya feel so entitled…crap!
The main problem on Kenya is poor governance & corruption.smh
Well,let that apply to politicians too. Poor governance & corruption is to blame for high unemployment rate for the youth…not retirement age of 60.
So sad is this what the hustler will undergo
I don’t support this idea. There are many civil servants who have already and have not been paid. Will the government afford to pay others. Many retirees die because of depression. Many of them have loans, how will the loans be paid?
Absolutely…..let them try.
It’s a good idea… let’s them retire us while strong and energetic..such that we can join our families while strong and useful.
Retiring civil servants and others from other institutions before their normal retirement age of 60 years so that the youth of this country can be hired is
both suicidal and insensitive.These civil servants are already bogged down by
all manner of mirriad economic hardships to say the least.What will happen to the loans they are servicing? What about the school fees they are struggling to pay for their children and those of their siblings? Kindly discuss this retirement bill with sobriety as it can cause mirriad other predicaments which will be hard to solve.
It’s a good idea to debate about ;We actually need the youth in Employment and we equally need the seniors nearing their retirement to service their loans and montages.
We are all in agreement that a thousand miles begin with a single step.
Retiring these so called old people will not create any meaningful job opportunities..if an analysis was to be done for the number of youths who needs to be employed and the so called old to be retired, there’s no comparison.. revive industries and give incentives to those who are able to set up industries rather than lining your pockets with illegally acquired wealth which you’ll never spend.. leave those old folks alone
This is adding a problems on other problems they support that becoz they have plans to kuchota public money b4 their retire comes what about that employee who is only depending on the salary only, you people have to be human sometimes rather than always thiking of oppressing the ordinary citizens.
Why fear ?For along time retirement was pegged at 55!The day employed you must know you will retireor even die b4 this age!The question is can we have seamless transition from salary to pension!On the other hand remove the aged from housing scheme to allow preparation to go home!
Let the MPs start with themselves then move to their electorate
No,I don’t agree with that proposal of ritering age to 55years of age, these people have loans,this person has for the services of his or her a loan,now you want these person to ritere at 55, question,are you going to pay for his or loan and he his of age of 53,54 years, how are you going to pay for his loans?and have you planned for there pension,we have Mp who have reached the age of 55and above,are they going to ritere also?
Are these people serious? Retire those mpigs first, replace the dead and retired before tormenting people people with your nonsense
I hate to think about the this.This should cut across board from the president coming down so that the sharp mouthed leaders planning can be part of the story. Useless leaders!
What shall happen to the huge loans?Does the 55years old have no needs?The bill should target all gvt employees including political posts.
The bill then should apply to all people including members of parliament.judges and magistrates,parastal heads.cas among the others.on the same note they should consider shortterm and longterm effects of such adecision,because majority of the people are heavily burdened with banks loans.The move will only be shortterm and wll not sort out the economic crisis of thecountry instead they should be innovative and creative in solving the issue of an unemployment.The issue of unemployment in the country can only be addressed by fixing the economy and coming up with strict legislation to respond to rampant corruption
Solving issue of an unemployment.The issue of unemployment in the country can only be addressed by fixing the economy and coming up with strict legislation to respond to rampant corruption
Even Zakayo and his sycophants above 55 should be forcefully retired
You employ,, employees at 45 and expect to retire them at 55 this will bring more mind torture to a person than helping,,it’s not making sense at all
If at all there is acute shortage of human resource in the civil service and here you talk about retirement at 55yrs can’t you fore see the crises you about to create? You should borrow ideas from kibaki regime. Make a time frame for preparation.like those below 50 to adopt 55yrs while above 50 to proceed with 60yr
This idea is backwards. It is these people above fifty years old that are paying the now exorbitant education fees for the youth. If the parents retire earlier, that will make the youth suffer more. The same youth aren’t even getting the opportunity to attend tertiary education and you want to give them jobs after denying them training opportunities? This idea truly makes no sense. The government isn’t the only job creator. Work on taxes to favour various local and international industries, create incentives for small businesses, make education cheaper and this way the youth will have jobs. Their parents who are above fifty five years old will be able to educate them. It’s this simple!
They can as well increase the youth age bracket or set term limits for the public service.e.g.Teachers 2 five yr term of office (10yrs).
This is a backward thoughts. Ask yourselves a question, how many retired civil servants are at home who retired 3 years ago and you have not paid their retired benefits 3years down the line. These you are talking about retiring where will get theirs. Think twice don’t talk the talk ,please think ahead before you propose something will make other people suffer with things which will not even benefit yourselves!!!!
Mps should also retire at 55 what you plan for others should also apply to you.
Let them increase youth bracket from 22_ 40
At 55 you are at Job Group L,M,N….. will the youth getting employed get in at L?No!So this is not solving any problem.Those with loans and mortgage to service up to 60 years,what happens?Anyway thanks for the write up but seems the writer and MPs pushing this argument don’t know Law.The Law does not work in reverse.The change of retirement age will affect those who will join the service AFTER its in force.Those already employed have their 60 years contract intact!You apply this to them and it will be declared unconstitutional,null and void!
The proposal isn’t valid because of the following reasons.
1.Majority of the newly employed get a job after the age of 40 and so it won’t be fair to retire such after gaining a 15yrs experience and production is at its highest.
2.Goverment won’t be able to pay retirees at this economic situatio
let it also apply to the presidency,Governor’s,MPs,Senators MCA’s Women reps village elders we have no objection