- UASU has warned that the University of Nairobi could lose up to 70 per cent of its academic staff if PSC’s revised retirement rules are enforced.
- The union has highlighted that the university has already lost nearly 40 per cent of its workforce since 2020 and has not recruited new lecturers due to financial challenges.
- UASU has cautioned that the policy has threatened teaching, research, innovation, and the pension scheme, urging PSC to withdraw the circular and consult stakeholders.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has warned that the University of Nairobi (UoN) could lose up to 70 per cent of its academic workforce if the Public Service Commission (PSC) implements its revised retirement policy.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 3, the union’s University of Nairobi Chapter said the proposed changes would severely disrupt teaching, research and innovation, while placing the university’s pension scheme under significant financial strain.
UASU criticised the PSC circular dated March 2 and its April 28 addendum, arguing that the policy reduces the retirement age for professors from 74 to 70 years, while lowering the retirement age for senior lecturers and other academic staff from 74 years to 65 years or below.
The union further noted that the university has not recruited any lecturers since 2020 after suspending hiring as part of cost-cutting measures prompted by persistent financial challenges.
According to UASU, the institution has already lost nearly 40 per cent of its academic staff through retirements, resignations, deaths and other attrition, leaving it with only about 60 per cent of its 2020 workforce.
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It warned that enforcing the revised retirement age would reduce the remaining workforce by a further 40 per cent, resulting in a cumulative loss of between 60 and 70 per cent of the academic staff employed at the university in 2020.
“The University of Nairobi cannot realistically survive such a drastic reduction in its teaching staff within a period of only five years,” the union warned.
UASU cautioned that the departure of senior academics could cripple entire academic departments and specialised training programmes that rely on a small pool of professors with decades of experience, internationally recognised research records and rare expertise.
The union cautioned that losing such personnel would significantly weaken the university’s core mandates of teaching, research, innovation and community service.
It also expressed concern over the financial stability of the University of Nairobi Pension Scheme, claiming the fund is owed about Ksh11 billion in unpaid pension contributions.
According to UASU, the simultaneous retirement of a large number of lecturers would reduce the scheme’s contribution base, threatening its long-term sustainability and increasing the risk of financial collapse.
UASU further criticised the PSC for introducing the policy without consulting universities, academic staff unions or university councils, arguing that the move undermines institutional autonomy.
It also pointed to conflicting decisions by the Employment and Labour Relations Court over the retirement-age provisions, saying the divergent rulings have created legal uncertainty for universities and lecturers.
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The union urged the PSC to withdraw the circular and engage stakeholders in fresh consultations, while calling on Parliament to intervene and the government to develop retirement policies that reflect the unique nature of academic work.
It also appealed for a comprehensive rescue package for both the University of Nairobi and its pension scheme.
By Frank Mugwe
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