A new Bill in the National Assembly wants to force all civil servants to retire at 60 years of age
Presently the Public Service Commission is allowed to engage on contract a person who has passed retirement age if they possess "rare skills"
Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Mwangi wants to eliminate this loophole to increase job opportunities for younger Kenyans.
In 2009 government increased the retirement age from 55 to 60 years. However, this is still very young – in most countries, the retirement age is 65 years and is projected to rise again soon.
Relatively few jobs will be saved by denying contracts to civil servants after 60 years of age. The benefits of blocking a few experts from staying on are not worth the costs of losing their special skills.
And indeed most MPs who might pass this Bill are themselves well over 60 years. Would they vote for the Bill if it also applied to politicians, if they themselves had to retire at 60 years of age? Of course, not!
So let civil servants continue to work on after 60 years of age if the PSC decides they are worth a contract.
Quote of the day: "Many a good newspaper story has been ruined by over verification."
James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
The American newspaper publisher was born on May 10, 1841
