The Public Service Commission (PSC) has firmly rebuffed allegations of biased recruitment practices involving government interns, asserting that its role is confined to executing directives from state agencies.
The Commission issued a resolute statement on Thursday, July 25, addressing concerns raised by a recent protest in Nairobi by frustrated interns.
In a sharp rebuttal, the PSC stressed that claims of preferential treatment towards interns in the recruitment process contradict constitutional mandates on merit and fairness.
“The Commission must highlight that any form of preferential treatment for Public Service Internship Programme (PSIP) or other interns in recruitment could infringe upon constitutional principles of merit and non-discrimination,” the PSC declared.
This clarification follows a public outcry that culminated in a coordinated demonstration on Monday, July 19, 2024. The protest, led by interns lacking union representation, reflected mounting frustrations with PSC’s handling of intern employment issues.
These young professionals, facing systemic corruption and inertia from the PSC, rallied for reforms to address their grievances.
Protesters articulated several demands: an end to corruption and nepotism within the PSC, an audit of hiring practices since 2018, the elimination of ghost workers, the removal of individuals with fake certificates, and the enforcement of retirement age policies.
The PSC, however, emphasised that it adheres to a strict recruitment protocol based on job advertisements and constitutional requirements, including diverse community representation and gender balance.
The PSC’s response also detailed the procedural aspects of its recruitment process. “The Commission recruits on behalf of public institutions based on requests from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs),” it explained.
MDAs submit requests for staffing after securing funding approval from the National Treasury. The PSC then handles the recruitment, selection, and submission of successful candidates to the respective MDAs.
The Public Service Internship Programme (PSIP), launched in 2019, aims to bridge the gap between education and practical work experience for graduates. The programme offers a monthly stipend of Kenya Shillings 25,000 and has benefitted 25,200 interns across multiple cohorts.
The PSC maintains that the internship programme’s design is to provide valuable experience and not to guarantee permanent employment. Any suggestion of automatic absorption into the public service, the PSC argues, would contravene principles of fairness and merit.
