High Court Halts Implementation of PSC Circular Altering Retirement Age for Kenyan Public University Lecturers

The Employment and Labour Relations Court halts a PSC circular changing the retirement age for Kenyan university lecturers following a challenge by UASU.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 6:14 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from TUKO.co.ke

Judiciary Intervenes in Public Service Commission Policy Shift

The High Court in Nairobi has issued a temporary stay against a controversial circular from the Public Service Commission (PSC) that intended to restructure the retirement age for public university lecturers. Justice Jacob Gakeri, presiding over the Employment and Labour Relations Court, deemed the matter urgent, providing interim relief to academic staff across the country. This judicial intervention effectively freezes a policy that had been set to take effect immediately, pending a full hearing scheduled for March 24, 2026.

The Contested Retirement Thresholds

The dispute stems from a PSC circular released on March 2, 2026, which proposed a tiered retirement system:

Professors and Associate Professors: Retirement age set at 70 (extended to 75 for those with disabilities).

Senior Lecturers, Lecturers, and Research Scientists (PhD/Masters): Retirement age set at 65 (extended to 70 for those with disabilities).