UGANDA: Cut Retirement Age, say MPs

KAMPALA (The New Vision), April 27, 2006: MPs on Wednesday asked the Public Service Commission (PSC) to lower retirement age from 60 years to create space for graduates to join the service. The public service committee chaired by Ignatius Besisira (Buyaga) said most employers especially in government departments ask for many years of experience yet many public servants are still occupying the positions. “Should we insist on retirement to be at 65 years? We should be flexible for anyone to leave at will or reduce on the years of service. Most public organisations ask for experience yet most of the job seekers are young graduates,” Anthony Iga (Kalungu west) said. The legislators were meeting a team from the PSC led by deputy chairperson Joyce Kaddu to discuss budget estimates for 2006/7 financial year. Kaddu said the issue of retirement age was very crucial as far as unemployment is concerned, but said Parliament should address it because it is a policy matter. The MPs also advised the PSC to draft policies that would improve public relations and customer care, which they said was poor among public servants. By Irene Nabusoba and Halima Shaban