By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NAIROBI
President William Ruto has issued a directive ordering all public servants aged 60 and above to retire immediately as part of the government’s cost-cutting measures.
Speaking from State House, Nairobi, President Ruto explained that the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024, has resulted in a significant reduction of revenue targets by Sh346 billion. He noted that reducing the budget by this amount would drastically affect the delivery of critical government services, and therefore, tough decisions need to be made.
“Public servants who attain retirement age of 60 shall be required to immediately proceed on retirement with no extensions,” Ruto said.
The President’s directive affects all public servants in national and county governments, including the executive, legislature, judiciary, and constitutional commissions. The move is expected to trim the government’s wage bill and pave the way for younger civil servants to take up leadership positions.
In addition to the mandatory retirement, President Ruto announced other austerity measures, including the dissolution of 47 state corporations with overlapping mandates, suspension of the appointment of Chief Administrative Officers (CASs), reduction of government advisers by 50%, and removal of budgetary provisions for confidential budgets in various executive offices.
Also, government purchase of new motor vehicles is suspended for 12 months, except for security agencies, and all nonessential travel by state and public officers is suspended, the president said.
Some of the actions were on a list of demands made by protesters.
The President also established an independent task force to conduct a forensic audit of public debt, aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in government borrowing.
“This audit will provide Kenyans with clarity on the extent and nature of our debt and how public resources have been expanded and also recommend proposals for managing public debt in a manner that is sustainable and does not burden future generations,” he said
The move has been welcomed by some as a necessary step towards fiscal discipline, while others have expressed concerns about the impact on service delivery and the welfare of affected public servants.
