CS Aisha Jumwa: Any public servant who has attained the retirement age should leave office

In an interview with Citizen TV on Thursday, CS Jumwa said that since taking her position, she has noticed that many public sector offices are filled with workers who have reached the age-retirement requirements and ought to be sent home.

CS Jumwa added that it has become tradition that individuals who are past the retirement age gap get contract extensions yet younger people are grappling with the scarcity of job opportunities.

According to Jumwa, she has already written to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to interrogate the matter and oust anyone who has passed the age threshold.

"I noticed that there are older people who have attained the mandatory retirement age but you find that they go to maybe the PSC and they get contracts. They have already retired and instead of going home they are offered contracts for two more years, one year, and so on" said CS Jumwa.

"I wrote a letter to the PSC and told them that we have a law and if someone has attained the required age to retire aende akiendanga so that we give younger people opportunities," she added.

"We have also said in this in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto that we will create job opportunities for young people in the nation."

The Public Service minister went on to add that her proposal will pave the way for a seamless transition for university students into the working sector.

According  to CS Jumwa, the issue is so grave that in the past few months university graduates have incessantly knocked on her office asking for jobs. 

She argued that the solution has been impeded by a few individuals who do not want to leave office.

"What will happen to university graduates who are looking for jobs, and I have been visited by many of them, yet there are offices they qualify to occupy but the positions are held with people who ought to have retired," she said.

"That is why you look at some of these government positions and you ask yourself why is this person still here?"

The PSC Act, 2017 states that the mandatory retirement age in public service shall be sixty years and sixty-five years for persons with disability.