NAIROBI, Kenya – At least 11 county governments in Kenya are facing scrutiny after an audit revealed that 406 public servants aged above 60 were still employed, violating the country’s mandatory retirement age policy.
The audit, conducted by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu and reviewing county payrolls as of June 30, 2024, has raised concerns over adherence to public service regulations and fiscal management.
The findings show that city counties, including Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru, had the highest numbers of employees past the retirement age of 60, as stipulated by the Public Service Commission’s Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual (2016).
Mombasa led the list with 96 overage staffers, followed by Kisumu with 79 and Nakuru with 77.
Other counties with significant breaches included Bomet (40), Isiolo (29), Nandi (27), Kilifi (26), and Nairobi (17), among others.
The audit uncovered that these employees were paid millions of shillings during the review period.
In Nandi, for example, the overage staff collectively earned Sh11 million, highlighting the financial strain during a period of heightened concern over the public wage bill.
The law, which raised the mandatory retirement age from 55 to 60 in 2009, allows for exceptions only in specific cases such as persons with disabilities, who may be allowed to retire at 65, or for university lecturers and research scientists.
However, the audit found that Mombasa county failed to provide proper documentation for employees claiming disability, while Kisumu management did not adequately explain the discrepancies in its payroll.
Furthermore, Bomet’s anomalies led to a significant total salary payout of Sh32 million for the overage staff.
The breach of these retirement laws, particularly in counties like Garissa, which retained an overage workforce without justification, has sparked criticism.
Gathungu stated that such actions were in violation of the law, and these systemic failures in enforcing retirement policies have raised concerns about both fiscal mismanagement and blocked opportunities for younger professionals.
The audit echoes a recent report by the Public Service Commission (PSC), which revealed that 1,423 civil servants in various government departments and state agencies were still in service beyond the retirement age.
Ministries and state corporations accounted for the majority of these cases, with technical and vocational institutions also seeing a significant number of aged workers.
In response, the PSC has urged ministries and public institutions to focus on targeted recruitment campaigns for young graduates, highlighting that youth currently represent only 28% of the public service workforce.
The commission also called for reforms to ensure that young professionals have opportunities to enter the public service, combating the practice of retaining senior employees and encouraging a more dynamic and youthful workforce.
