[Uganda] Public servants altering ages to remain on state payroll

Some Ugandan public sector workers due for retirement are extending their working life by changing their legal age, leaving young Ugandans concerned that this will have a further negative effect on their own chances for employment, DW reports.

The country’s public service laws currently require all workers to retire at the age of 60. But an increasing number of employees - especially those with links to politicians - are doing everything they can to remain in the workforce.

"It has become a trend now," an anonymous source at the Ministry of Public Service (MoPS) told local news outlet New Vision. "A number of public servants do not want to retire. When they see that they are approaching 60, they come up with explanations, claiming to be younger."

The MoPS has announced close to 1,000 senior public servants applying to change the age they reported during the recruitment process. Some have already had their requests denied and are reportedly exploring other legal ways to continue in their roles.

Uganda’s unemployed youth struggling to gain a foothold

Young Ugandans, many of whom have recently graduated and are struggling to gain a foothold in the jobs market, are reportedly unimpressed with this development. Young people make up over 70 per cent of the country's 45 million population.

Job seekers like Gilbert Ekanya (27) are troubled by the age-changing phenomenon and worry that it will make it even more difficult to find employment.

"I graduated about six years ago and I have not got a job," he told DW. "But if I hear that someone who has worked for 30 or 40 years is changing his age just to [keep] a particular job, I feel bad. I feel that is space for young people."

Jackie - a young Ugandan who will soon graduate from university - is already considering different career options.

"Some of us are very young and fresh from class," she told DW. "We also want to work for the government. Now, I think the best thing we can do is try plan B, like starting up a business."

Government worker Boney Cen Winy (50) agrees that Uganda's public service sector is too oversubscribed to leave room for many young graduates to enter. But he believes that the answer is self-employment, rather than waiting for older public servants to retire.

"Universities and institutions are pouring [out] graduates every year and the jobs are not expanding," he told DW. "Young people should be looking elsewhere, they should go and acquire vocational skills and start their own jobs."

Taking action

Some young Ugandans are undeterred and remain determined to forge a career in the public sector.

Moses Kidega (26) from the National Youth Council of Uganda says his group will take legal action against government workers who do not want to retire.

Mr Kidega is worried that efforts to reform the public sector will come to a halt if the younger generation loses the opportunity to contribute.

"We are limiting the innovation that comes with young people in public service, so we are limited the skills that would have been adopted by the public sector," he told DW.

"The government intends to digitise about 80 per cent of its services. I don't think this will work out if the people in charge of it are the people who went to school before IT was introduced."

Public sector reform begins

Moves to improve digital access to Uganda's public sector services have already begun.

In November, the Ugandan government launched a new automated system containing the biodata of all public sector workers, including their age and their first official date of employment.

The system is designed to automatically switch employees who have reached retirement age from the active payroll to the pension system.

Allan Muhereza - a human resources commissioner at MoPS - said the change will prevent public servants from trying to change their age in the future.

"The date you declare at the entry of public service is the date we keep unless there is unquestionable evidence [to the contrary]," he told DW. "[The system] will help us stop people [from] changing their data during their employment."

Source: DW

(Quotes via original reporting)

Some Ugandan public sector workers due for retirement are extending their working life by changing their legal age, leaving young Ugandans concerned that this will have a further negative effect on their own chances for employment, DW reports.

The country’s public service laws currently require all workers to retire at the age of 60. But an increasing number of employees - especially those with links to politicians - are doing everything they can to remain in the workforce.

"It has become a trend now," an anonymous source at the Ministry of Public Service (MoPS) told local news outlet New Vision. "A number of public servants do not want to retire. When they see that they are approaching 60, they come up with explanations, claiming to be younger."

The MoPS has announced close to 1,000 senior public servants applying to change the age they reported during the recruitment process. Some have already had their requests denied and are reportedly exploring other legal ways to continue in their roles.

Uganda’s unemployed youth struggling to gain a foothold

Young Ugandans, many of whom have recently graduated and are struggling to gain a foothold in the jobs market, are reportedly unimpressed with this development. Young people make up over 70 per cent of the country's 45 million population.

Job seekers like Gilbert Ekanya (27) are troubled by the age-changing phenomenon and worry that it will make it even more difficult to find employment.

"I graduated about six years ago and I have not got a job," he told DW. "But if I hear that someone who has worked for 30 or 40 years is changing his age just to [keep] a particular job, I feel bad. I feel that is space for young people."

Jackie - a young Ugandan who will soon graduate from university - is already considering different career options.

"Some of us are very young and fresh from class," she told DW. "We also want to work for the government. Now, I think the best thing we can do is try plan B, like starting up a business."

Government worker Boney Cen Winy (50) agrees that Uganda's public service sector is too oversubscribed to leave room for many young graduates to enter. But he believes that the answer is self-employment, rather than waiting for older public servants to retire.

"Universities and institutions are pouring [out] graduates every year and the jobs are not expanding," he told DW. "Young people should be looking elsewhere, they should go and acquire vocational skills and start their own jobs."

Taking action

Some young Ugandans are undeterred and remain determined to forge a career in the public sector.

Moses Kidega (26) from the National Youth Council of Uganda says his group will take legal action against government workers who do not want to retire.

Mr Kidega is worried that efforts to reform the public sector will come to a halt if the younger generation loses the opportunity to contribute.

"We are limiting the innovation that comes with young people in public service, so we are limited the skills that would have been adopted by the public sector," he told DW.

"The government intends to digitise about 80 per cent of its services. I don't think this will work out if the people in charge of it are the people who went to school before IT was introduced."

Public sector reform begins

Moves to improve digital access to Uganda's public sector services have already begun.

In November, the Ugandan government launched a new automated system containing the biodata of all public sector workers, including their age and their first official date of employment.

The system is designed to automatically switch employees who have reached retirement age from the active payroll to the pension system.

Allan Muhereza - a human resources commissioner at MoPS - said the change will prevent public servants from trying to change their age in the future.

"The date you declare at the entry of public service is the date we keep unless there is unquestionable evidence [to the contrary]," he told DW. "[The system] will help us stop people [from] changing their data during their employment."

Source: DW

(Quotes via original reporting)