REDUCING RETIREMENT AGE IN UGANDA CREATES HUMAN RESOURCE GAPS

Many job seekers in Uganda feel that reducing retirement age in the public service can help to create more jobs. I wish to differ from this thinking because of the fact that in some government departments, manpower has never been enough. The health sector for example, has always had fewer doctors than the required number. At the moment, the doctor-patient ratio is 1:20,000 patients. This is rather an absurd situation. Even if a doctor worked for twenty four hours, it would be impossible to handle 20,000 patients a day. Reducing the retirement age for doctors may create personnel deficiency in Uganda.

Ugandan institutions of higher learning have never had enough qualified academic staff. The title Professor in Uganda is associated with a grey haired old man or a wrinkled old woman who has excelled in research and teaching in universities. These professors are engaged in teaching instead of enabling them to research and publish. This is because involving them in purely research and administration will create manpower gaps on the academic staff line-up. Moreover, most of the professors in Uganda are nearing the current retirement age or have already reached it. This however does not mean that most of them have out-lived their effectiveness in academic performance. Professors who have joined private universities after retiring from the public service have excelled in their work. Reducing the retirement age of university academic staff to 55 years could weaken public universities.

The Ugandan judiciary is another sector that will be affected. Whereas the retirement age for judges and justices is a bit high compared to other public servants, there is a growing tendency among young lawyers to join the private practice. This is the area where there is more money. If the retirement age of state attorneys, magistrates and judicial officers in various public departments is lowered to 55 years, Uganda will have to borrow additional lawyers from other countries. Any policy on retirement age in Uganda should provide for the introduction of fixed term contracts of employment in some departments like health, education and judiciary. The contract should cover only staff who have reached the retirement age but are still capable of performing in their profession.

Everest Turyahikayo
Kampala