Government Seeks Out-of-Court Settlement in Chiefs Recruitment Age Dispute

The Kenyan government is seeking an out-of-court settlement in a legal petition challenging the minimum age restriction for the recruitment of local administrators (Chief II).The DisputeThe Restriction: The Ministry of Interior implemented a recruitment guideline requiring all applicants for the Chief II position to be 35 years of age and older.The Legal Challenge: Activists Laban Omusundi and the Tribeless Youth group filed a petition in court arguing that the 35-year minimum requirement is discriminatory, unfair, and locks out qualified youth from public service employment.The Government's Response: Through Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, the state opted to pursue an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to resolve the age discrimination row outside the formal court process.