Judge halts new lecturer retirement rules
The Employment and Labour Relations Court has temporarily suspended the implementation of a directive by the Public Service Commission (PSC) setting the mandatory retirement age for university lecturers and researchers at 70 years.
The interim orders were issued by Justice Jacob Gakeri following an urgent application filed by the University Academic Staff Union (UASU), which is challenging the legality of the PSC circular.
Justice Gakeri certified the application as urgent and directed the PSC to file its response within four days. The case is scheduled for hearing on March 24.
The directive, issued by the PSC on March 12, introduced new retirement guidelines for academic, research, and non-teaching staff in public universities and research institutions.
The guidelines set retirement ages ranging from 60 to 75 years, depending on rank, employment category, and disability status.
Under the new framework, professors and research professors would retire at 70 years, with an extension to 75 for those living with disabilities. Associate professors and senior lecturers would retire at 65, extendable to 70 for persons with disabilities, while junior lecturers and research fellows would retire at 60, or 65 if disabled. Non-teaching staff would retire at 60, with a possible extension to 65 for those living with disabilities.
PSC Chief Executive Officer Paul Famba said the guidelines were aimed at ensuring uniformity and compliance across the public service.
He noted that the Constitution and the Public Service Commission Regulations, 2020, grant the Commission authority to determine retirement ages for academic and research staff in consultation with relevant institutions.
The court’s decision to halt the directive now puts the new retirement framework on hold pending the determination of the case.
