For many civil servants, retirement was once a time to rest with dignity. Now, they say a new pension arrangement has become a source of daily anxiety.
A group calling itself Concerned Civil Servants says it lives in fear that the current contributory pension scheme will leave them poor and uncertain after years of serving the government.
The group has announced plans to hold demonstrations in the country’s four cities on November 3, 2026, to push government to abandon the contributory scheme and return to the old defined-benefit system.
In letters addressed to district commissioners and signed by secretary-general Justin Mkwale, the civil servants say the new system offers lower and unpredictable benefits.
“We are concerned that this [current scheme] will leave retirees receiving lower and less predictable benefits than under the old pension system, in which pension payments could benefit from salary adjustments and government-approved increments,” reads the letter.
Under the contributory scheme, a retiree only gets half of their benefits at once, while the other half is kept by an insurer to earn interest.
Under the old defined-benefit scheme, a retiree was assured of a monthly payment every 14th, equal to the salary they earned at the time of retirement — money they could count on.
But not everyone is backing the planned protests.
In August, the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) discredited the group, accusing it of failing to follow proper procedures.
Civil Service Trade Union CSTU president Lameck Magawa acknowledged challenges with the current arrangement but said the group rushed to go public despite the union’s promise to address their concerns.
For the concerned civil servants, however is a personal matter for it is about life servicing in the government.