Retirement Age for Teachers, Lecturers, Retired Teachers Pensions in Kenya

What is the retirement age for teachers in Kenya? In this article you will be given detailed information on the retirement age for teachers, lecturers and TSC retired teachers pension in Kenya.

After many years of focusing on a career, most teachers look forward to the day they will retire and have time to do all those things they never got time for. Generally, teachers retire at an age when they become eligible for pension benefits to be able to survive financially. However, they may also opt to retire early for one reason or another.

Retirement Age For Teachers In Kenya

At what age do most teachers retire in Kenya? Retirement age for teachers is not determined by their employer but is anchored on the law through an act of parliament.

The Kenyan government in 2009 revised the retirement age of employees to 60 years from 55 as a move to ensure that the skilled people remained in service longer.

The same also applies to teachers. Their age of retirement was 55 years before the amendments. Currently, teachers’ retirement age is set for 60 years and 65 years for those with disabilities.

This was a great move as it allows the teachers who have been in practice for many years to continue mentoring the newly employed teachers.

Early Retirement For Teachers In Kenya

A teacher may choose to retire early due to many reasons. Such a teacher is required to apply in writing through the head of the institution and give three months’ notice stating the intended date of retirement. The commission then issues a retirement notice following the receipt of the application.

It then processes the retirement claim upon receiving the required documents. This claim is then forwarded to the director of the pension, Treasury, for payment. The earliest the teacher’s service commission can allow a teacher to retire in Kenya is when they attain 50 years and on completion of 10 years continuous service on Permanent and Pensionable terms.

Retirement Age For Lecturers In Kenya

The specific retirement age for lecturers has for a long time been an issue which saw the lecturers through the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) take the issue to court, accusing their employers of doublespeak on the matter.

Documents taken to court by UASU revealed that the proposed new retirement age was a compromise deal between the lecturers and the universities.

UASU had earlier proposed that the retirement age be pushed to between 65 and 75 years, but the labor court declined, saying that raising the retirement age to 75 was against the public policy to have public servants retire at 60.

The court argued that the proposal for amending the retirement age is from the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The court declined to increase the exit age. This ruling was a big blow to old dons. The lecturers were not comfortable with the ruling as they said that the ruling was a major blow to the universities as it would affect the quality of education.

The exit of old professors could dent the credibility of universities as the old dons well experienced in their fields of service.

TSC Retired Teachers Pensions

So, how much pension do teachers get in Kenya? Previously, teachers did not contribute to their pension, and their benefits were paid straight from the taxes.

The traditional pensions were based on the teacher’s years of experience and a measure of the final average salary, which is usually the average of the teacher’s salary in the last three to five years prior to retirement.

There was no specific amount of pension for retired teachers. Usually, the amount of pension was based on how many years a teacher had been in service.

The pension was then calculated by multiplying the number of years the teacher had been in service by the average salary. The result was divided by 80, which gave a lump sum equal to three times the pension.

In a surprising twist of events, teachers will have their take-home pay cut by 7.5 percent as they start contributing to their pension savings scheme. They will see a portion of their salaries sliced for onward remittance to the soon-to-be-created Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS).

The move is aimed at reducing the pension burden currently borne by the exchequer.

What Are The Retirement Benefits For A Teacher?

Upon retirement, teachers also get other benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Pensions Act. The benefits are usually free of charge and they do not have to contribute part of their salaries to receive these rights. On leaving the service, teachers receive one or more of the following benefits:

• Service pension plus commuted pension
• Marriage gratuity
• Injury gratuity
• Death gratuity
• Dependants pension
• Compassionate gratuity
• Annual allowance

There you have it. A comprehensive guide on the retirement age for teachers in Kenya. If you are a teacher you need to know the age you will retire and the benefits that you are eligible for upon retirement. This will inform how much you will earn as a pension so that you can plan ahead effectively.

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