PSC Report Shows Rift Valley Dominates State Jobs
PSC Report Shows Rift Valley Dominates State Jobs
PSC Report Shows Rift Valley Dominates State Jobs
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has released an updated report that highlights the lack of ethnic diversity in the public service by showing that Rift Valley areas have a considerable 21.8% share of non-competitive State employment.The results, which covered hiring across 47 public offices, were detailed in the PSC’s annual report on the Status of Compliance with Constitution Principles for the Financial Year 2022/2023.
According to the survey, some communities are more likely than others to be involved in public service. Mt Kenya communities had the second-highest representation (19%), followed by Nyanza communities (12%), Western Kenya communities (9%) and Ukambani communities (9%). The Ukambani communities held a significant position with 9.6%, followed by the Gusii and Maasai populations with 6.2% and 2.6%, respectively.
Other communities that are consuming a significant portion of public employment are the Mijikenda (2.1%), and Taita Taveta (2.3%).The study notes that 47 organizations hired 1,193 officers without holding a competitive hiring process, which translates to a 9% hiring rate.
250 civil officials, or 17.3% of the total, were chosen from among them to serve as advisers to Cabinet Secretaries and personal staff in the Deputy President’s office without going through a competitive hiring process. According to the research, the primary explanations provided by government agencies for the non-competitive appointments were direct (internal) appointments (22.4%) and the conversion of temporary appointments to permanent & pensionable terms (35%).
Other reasons outlined in the report include; the representation of PWDs in the organisation (Kenyatta University) (2%); absorption of casual staff to permanent & pensionable terms (8.2%); and appointment of casual staff (8.1%)“The highest number of officers recruited non-competitively were drawn from State Corporations and SAGAs with 466 (27.7%) of the total, followed by Ministries and State Departments with 290 (23.4%) officers, ” the report read in part.
The PSC’s discovery that the majority of government organizations functioned without human service resources, leading to various inequities, exacerbated the situation even more. In conclusion, the PSC recommended that, with the exception of situations where under-representation is being addressed, all public organizations adhere to the requirements of fair competition and merit when making appointments.
