Retirement program for teachers aged fifty and above
Retirement program for teachers aged fifty and above
Teachers 50 years of age and beyond can now retire under a new initiative from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The commission has ordered the identification of sites for informing teachers about retirement in a statement to county and sub-county directors. These educators will gather for the retirement awareness program this week and the following week at specific sites within their respective sub-counties.
This initiative comes at a time when members of parliament are in the process of drafting legislation to retire teachers and civil servants aged fifty-five and above. Approximately 85,000 teachers and civil servants are expected to retire in the next three financial years, putting significant pressure on taxpayers, with pension costs estimated to reach nearly Sh210 billion annually during this review period.
The Public duty Commission Act of 2017’s Section 80(1)(a) and (b) states that a public official must retire from duty when they reach the statutory retirement age, which is currently 60 years of age for those without impairments and 65 years for everyone else. To increase work prospects for young people, the parliamentary committee is still debating whether to lower the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 55.
On a specific date, Thursday, August 3, the National Assembly’s Labor committee, during discussions on the Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023, expressed its intention to introduce an amendment capping the retirement age at 55. Various Members of Parliament voiced their support for this change, emphasizing the need to accommodate the growth of younger generations in the workforce.
If these proposed reforms are adopted, a sizable section of the civil service will retire sooner, which could have financial repercussions for the government, which is already dealing with a substantial pension load. The statutory retirement age was increased from 55 to 60 years old in 2009 in response to rising pension costs. In December 2021, the National Treasury paid out Sh69.22 billion in pensions and gratuities, and an audit conducted in 2016 found that 35% of national government employees were between the ages of 51 and 60.
In addition, measures allowing for acting appointments in public offices are introduced by the Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023. These appointments are subject to candidates fulfilling all requirements for the particular positions, and the Public Service Commission reserves the right to rescind any appointments made in violation of these requirements.
