This move will come to fruition should a directive by President William Ruto to retire government employees who have attained the age of 60 is realised.
Kenya’s civil service is expected to undergo a major shift following the government’s plans to send 43,976 public servants for retirement over the next five years, as the government moves to create 14,000 jobs at the end of this financial year in June 2025.
This move will come to fruition should a directive by President William Ruto to retire government employees who have attained the age of 60 is realised.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, in a press briefing on Thursday, August 22 painted the picture of what is poised to be a mass exodus that will see more than 7,000 public servants retire from their jobs this financial year alone.
This substantial wave of retirements is drawn from various state departments, county executives, and county assemblies across the country. Data from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) revealed that the public service workforce numbered 923,100 in the 2020/2021 fiscal year.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura during a past address. /FILE
With a significant portion of this workforce now approaching the mandatory retirement age, the government payroll for June 2024 already shows that 39,360 civil servants are expected to retire soon.
“The payroll indicates that 43,976 officers are aged 55 years and above and are expected to retire between this year and 2029, with 7,662 expected to retire in this financial year alone,” said Mwaura.
At the same time, Mwaura noted that 39,441 state officers are serving contractual terms and their contracts will expire on various dates depending on their periods of engagement.
The purge in the civil service will present a golden opportunity for the youth as the government prioritises filling these vacancies with younger talent.
“This creates 46,838 job opportunities for our jobless youth to serve in the government either on permanent or contractual terms upon the retirement and expiry of current contracts,” Mwaura added.
Public Service Commission (PSC) data stipulates that over 4,500 civil servants were aged 60 and above as of December 2023, with an additional 25,879 employees, aged between 56 and 60 years, set to reach retirement age within the next three years.
The PSC Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual, 2016, mandates retirement at age 60, with an allowance for persons with disabilities to extend their service until the age of 65.
The latest purge in terms of retirement will hit public universities the most, with at least 2,573 staff members aged above 60 years and another 3,362 nearing retirement.
State corporations will also not be spared, with 1,081 employees over 60 and 10,889 more set to retire within three years. Ministries and state departments will see 775 employees retire this year, with another 10,407 expected to leave by the end of 2026.
Constitutional commissions will lose 23 members of their workforce, while 348 others will exit over the next three years. Also included in the purge are Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and statutory commissions.
The representation of officers aged 60 and above has risen to 1.8 per cent, up from 1.3 per cent in the 2021-22 financial year, reflecting an ageing public sector. Overall, those approaching or within the retirement bracket account for 12 per cent of the 253,318 officers in public service at present.
On Friday, July 5, President Ruto directed that “Henceforth, public servants who attain the retirement age of 60 years shall be required to immediately proceed on retirement, with no extensions to their tenure of service.”
Public Service Commission Headquarters, Nairobi. /PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION