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{
    "id": 1013523,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1013523/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 255,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Makali Mulu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1955,
        "legal_name": "Benson Makali Mulu",
        "slug": "benson-makali-mulu"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this important Bill. I thank the Mover of this Bill because if you look at it, you will find that it is not changing anything to do with the retirement age. It is moving the retirement age from being part of a regulation to being part of an Act of Parliament. So, in terms of enforcement, it will give it more power. Looking at what is currently happening in this country. It is high time we started asking hard questions on whether the age of 60 is the age that we want people to retire at. To determine retirement age, there are a number of factors that need to be considered. You must consider the average time people die, what we call the “life span” of an individual and you must look at the skill development. Any time you visit offices, and this also happens in this House…. This House has passed many individuals who are above 60 years to head institutions. One would ask himself: Is it that we do not have skills at the lower level or is it that we need to relook at our retirement age? What is critical is the issue of the six months probation period. We are now saying that after six months, you either confirm or sack an employee. In this country you will hardly find a position that has no deputy. Most positions have deputies. If you have a deputy who has been deputising you for a number of years, then you act for six months and you do not qualify, your deputy should take over. However, what happens in most cases is that the appointing authorities take time to look for the right person. That is where we have a problem. For example, if I have deputised somebody for so long and when an opportunity for me to move up comes they bring somebody from outside, that will easily demoralise those of us who are already inside an organisation. This is an important clause. That, after six months, the appointing authority has no choice but to either confirm or sack whoever was on probation and upgrade another officer from the system. In that case, you will have proper succession plan. The other thing is that, as long as we clog the top, the bottom will never remain open. That is why we have no chances for our youth. In all cadres, our youth are completing colleges. For example, we have accountants, economists and engineers. However, because we have clogged the top, the bottom will not open for them to join. That is where the Civil Service has a challenge. It must plan well so that by the time people complete university education, they have a way of joining the workforce. They all join at the lower level. You will never see a fresh graduate becoming an executive in an organisation or taking the top position. But, if at the top you are giving jobs to persons who are up to 70 years, then the bottom is not moving up. We need to plan properly for succession, so that as people grow old and hit 60 years, they exit. What people do after 60 years is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}