Official Retirement Age for Teachers Set to Shift to 55
Official Retirement Age for Teachers Set to Shift to 55. Teachers, who are civil servants, now face the prospect of having to adapt to a bill that seeks to change their mandatory retirement age, which is due to be introduced in Parliament. The Kenya Kwanza government is determined to ensure that senior public servants leave their positions and create opportunities for the younger generation.
Parliamentary debate on lowering the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 55 is gaining momentum, with the aim of opening up job opportunities for young people in the public sector. Individuals approaching the age of fifty-five receive retirement readiness training before transitioning out of the workforce after reaching that age. Meanwhile, those aged fifty-five and over, although previously trained, will be notified of the impending changes before they retire.
On 3 August 2023, during the deliberations of the Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2023, the Labor Committee of the National Assembly proposed an amendment to limit the retirement age to 55. A bill sponsored by Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru would limit performances to a maximum of six months, in contrast to existing provisions. Members of Parliament such as Kangundo MP Fabian Muli and Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga are advocating further lowering of the retirement age to accommodate the interests of the youth.
If the proposed changes are approved, a significant number of state employees approaching retirement in the next five years would leave the workforce earlier than expected, which could increase financial pressure on the government’s pension obligations. A proposal to raise the retirement age from 55 to 60 in 2009 was a response to escalating pension costs. In particular, the 2016 audit revealed that a significant proportion of national government employees fell into the 51 to 60 age group. In the 2021/2022 financial year, 3,958 civil servants left various ministries, departments and agencies, according to the Public Service Commission’s annual report.
The Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2023 also outlines provisions for the appointment of executives, setting out qualification and competency requirements for such roles. Any executive appointments made without meeting these criteria would be set aside by the Public Service Commission. In addition, in February 2023, the then Public Service Commission of the České Budějovice, Aisha Jumwa, issued a directive to stop the extension of service to retired officers citing statutory provisions on retirement age. This directive included the cessation of the extension of service of principals and retired principals by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). Jumwa stressed compliance with the retirement age regulations and urged the cancellation of existing extensions to facilitate proper management of succession in the public service.
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