Why Retirement Age Should Remain At 60 Years – SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich
Lyn Mengich, Chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, has voiced her disagreement with parliament’s proposal to decrease the retirement age for civil servants.
During an interview with reporters on Tuesday, April 2nd, the chairperson asserted that lowering the retirement age would simply result in more productive individuals falling under the pension umbrella.
At present, civil servants can retire at 60 years old, whereas individuals with disabilities have a retirement age of 65.
Nevertheless, a proposal presented to a parliamentary committee is seeking to reduce the compulsory retirement age to 55.
As per Parliament, the intention behind reducing the age requirement is to generate openings and encourage the incorporation of Kenya’s youth into the Civil Service.
Mengich argued that reducing the age limit wouldn’t address the issue, as it would lead to more individuals being deemed reliant on pensions and the labor force.
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“If you say people retire at 55, these are people who are still productive they can still contribute effectively to the country. Why do you want to retire them early yet these are people who can contribute ?” stated Mengich
She elaborated that individuals aged 55 and above remain capable of maintaining productivity and earning income instead of being deemed obsolete.
Mengich suggests that exploring alternative methods to generate employment would be preferable to simply lowering the mandatory age limit.
Additionally, when discussing the matter of the existing government wage expenditure, the chairperson of the SRC emphasized that the privatization of state-owned enterprises was essential for decreasing the wage bill.
She also asserted that the duplication of roles had led to an inflated wage bill that is burdening Kenyan taxpayers.
Civil servants are resisting the Public Service Amendment Bill, 2023, put forward by Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru, which suggests lowering the age limit.
Trade unions have objected, arguing that this constitutes a violation of contracts that were agreed upon with the government during employment.
Why Retirement Age Should Remain At 60 Years – SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich
