Kenyan MPs Propose To Reduce Public Service Retirement Age From 60 To 55

• The National Assembly's Labour Committee, through the Public Service Commission Amendment Bill, 2023, proposed to cap the retirement age at 55
• It also proposes that no public service officer shall work in an acting capacity for more than six months
• The bill sponsored by Embakasi Central lawmaker Benjamin Gathiru noted that reducing the retirement age would ensure youths get jobs

Kenyan Members of Parliament (MPs) have proposed to reduce the public service retirement age from 60 to 55 years.

The National Assembly's Labour Committee, through the Public Service Commission Amendment Bill, 2023, said the reduction of the retirement age would pave the way for the youth to secure jobs.

The Public Service Commission Amendment Bill, 2023, is sponsored by Embakasi Central lawmaker Benjamin Gathiru.

It also proposes that no public service officer shall work in an acting capacity for more than six months.

"The Bill intends to amend the Public Service Act to prescribe the mandatory retirement age of sixty. The amendments are meant to increase vacancies of Kenyan Citizens below the age of sixty years.

The Bill also intends to address the issue of an officer serving in an acting capacity for more than six months. The prescribed six months is sufficient time for an organisation to substantively fill the position," it stated.

KNBS report shows 2.97m Kenyans lack jobs

Unemployment in Kenya continues to rise, with the number of jobless individuals hitting 2.97 million.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) showed the unemployment rate increased by 2.94% from 2.89 million reported in quarter three of 2022.

KNBS figures showed that 80,000 jobs were lost in the fourth quarter of 2022, three months after the August elections.

1.33 million jobless Kenyans give up

Kenyans who recently lost their jobs and those fresh from college have lost interest in job seeking.

A survey by KNBS showed that 67.71% of unemployed Kenyans or 1.33 million gave up searching for jobs.

The report showed these were mainly Kenyans aged between 20 and 24 years, who fall under the labour force bracket.

Individuals aged 20 to 24 without jobs grew to 580,281, while those between 25 and 29 increased to 351,125.