Daniel Mwaka, Executive Director of Youth Empowerment Hub speaks on Eye Radio Dawn Program. July 14, 2023. | Photo: Awan Moses/Eye Radio

A youth empowerment advocate is calling on the unity government to retire elderly civil servants to allow new graduates to join government institutions.

Daniel Mwaka, the Executive Director of Youth Empowerment Hub, says competent youth in the country are being blocked from employment by elderly ones.

Mwaka argues that this is making it difficult for young people to get jobs and prosper.

He is on the government to retire mature civil servants to retire and allow young people to take up some positions in the government.

“The jobs in the government positions right now, if you go to these institutions, you find there are elders who are not supposed to be sitting in those offices,” Mwaka said while speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn Show on Friday.

“They have passed their retirement age. They are not giving opportunities for young people, you find somebody in his 70s, or 80s still sitting and occupying an active office that is supposed to be given to young people.”

“If you consider young people, it is time for you to retire and ensure that young people also take up the opportunity and start working, and opportunities are not given to young people.”

“You have to retire, because most of these old people, if you go to their offices, you find there is nothing that they are doing, apart from enjoying ACs, sitting on very good sofas.”

Mwaka said the country has vibrant and “very” knowledgeable youth who can deliver more efficiently when given the opportunity.

“But we are not giving the opportunity to the competent young people who have graduated, so where do they expect young people to go and exercise all this knowledge.”

In October 2019, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs said there were nearly 600 senior civil servants who need to be retired from the civil service to create room for young people.

Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro said the senior civil servants should be pensioned off to allow new graduates to join government institutions.

But the government has been accused of not paying salaries of civil servants on time.

It has also not paid off retired civil servants.

Some of the civil servants who have reached the retirement age of 65 years have refused to leave work, arguing that they must first be assured of their benefits before retirement.