NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 3 — The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has warned that the University of Nairobi could lose up to 70 per cent of its academic staff if the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) revised retirement policy is implemented.
The union’s University of Nairobi Chapter, in a statement on Monday, cautioned the move could cripple teaching, research and innovation while pushing the institution’s pension scheme to the brink of collapse.
It condemned the PSC Circular dated March 2, 2026, and its April 28 addendum, saying the policy lowers the retirement age for professors from 74 to 70 years and for senior lecturers and other academic staff from 74 years to 65 years and below.
According to UASU, the university has not recruited a single lecturer since 2020 after freezing employment as a cost-containment measure amid chronic underfunding.
It says the institution has already lost nearly 40 per cent of its academic workforce through retirement, resignations, deaths and other forms of attrition, leaving it with only about 60 per cent of its previous staffing levels.
If the revised retirement age is enforced, the union said, the remaining workforce would shrink by another 40 per cent, translating into a cumulative loss of between 60 and 70 percent of the academic staff employed 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 cautioned.
UASU warned that the exodus of senior academics could wipe out entire academic departments and specialised training programmes that depend on a handful of professors with decades of experience, internationally recognised research credentials and unique expertise.
It said such losses would severely undermine the university’s teaching, research, innovation and community service mandates.
The union also raised concerns over the financial health of the University of Nairobi Pension Scheme, which it says is owed about Sh11 billion in outstanding pension contributions.
It argued that forcing large numbers of lecturers to retire simultaneously would deprive the scheme of critical contributions needed for its sustainability, potentially leading to its 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.
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.
