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TJudicial Officers’ Retirement Age Extended To 70 Yearshe Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has extended the retirement age for judicial officers from 65 to 70 years, following the publication of Statutory Instrument 42 of 2025, titled Judicial Service (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (No. 3), last Friday.
The extension was carried out with the concurrence of the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, in line with the provisions of the Judicial Service Act. The new regulations are set to come into effect on May 1.
According to the new law, judicial officers appointed before May 1, 2025, will retain a pensionable age of 65 but may opt to continue serving until the age of 70 on full pension. Any retirement between the ages of 65 and 70 will be classified as early retirement.
For those appointed after the effective date, the pensionable age is now set at 70 years. The statutory instrument further stipulates that the Paymaster must submit an annual report to the JSC by June 1 each year, listing members who will reach 65 or 70 years of age in the following year.
“The Commission may, when it is in the interest of the JSC to do so, permit a member whose pensionable age is 65 to continue to serve beyond the age of 65 for periods not exceeding one year at a time, provided that such member shall retire at the age of 70 years,” reads part of the SI.
In addition to adjusting the retirement age, the new regulations also allow for early retirement. Judicial officers may retire after reaching 60 years of age, provided they give three months’ notice and receive approval from the Commission.
The regulations also make provisions for cases where officers may be retired prematurely due to health reasons or inefficiency. A member found permanently unfit after a medical examination by a board appointed by the Secretary for Health, or who becomes incapable of effectively performing their duties for other reasons, may be required to retire.
