Plans are underway to ensure employment in the public sector is purely based on merit, according to Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku.
"We want to ensure meritocracy is the norm as far as employment in the public sector is concerned," said Ruku, who spoke during a panel discussion on TV 47 on Friday.
According to Ruku, the employment process in the public sector has been tainted because some people are not getting jobs based on merit, but because of connections, assuring that this is set to change in the coming days.
"The instructions which I have from the President are that moving forward, meritocracy must be the norm within the public sector. People are going to get jobs and promotions based on merit. Employment will not be based on who you know, but on merit, your qualifications, experience, and how you fit to handle that job," the CS said.
According to Ruku, the Ministry is already instituting measures within the public sector to ensure meritocracy is followed to the letter.
Although the Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent agency, political influence and nepotism are said to have a significant role in hiring decisions, with jobs being distributed based on ethnic affiliations and political loyalty rather than qualifications.
Ruku assured Kenyans that the PSC will maintain its independence and ensure all employment in the sector is done on merit rather than patronage.
"It is important to understand that the PSC is an independent commission, and we don't encroach on their mandate. So far, the commission has done a good job, but there is still room for improvement in ensuring meritocracy," said Ruku.
The CS said that the changes will be done internally in the PSC, and the commission will extend the supervision to other commissions and institutions in the public sector to ensure this is followed by the latter.
The CS was responding to a question on the recent employment at the Kenya Revenue Authority that saw two ethnic communities benefit from most of the jobs.
According to the CS, who recently took over the docket after former CS Justin Muturi was fired, Kenyans should expect more changes in the public sector, as he looks forward to streamlining it.
Ruku revealed that plans are underway by his ministry to commercialise the National Youth Service (NYS) services with a view of empowering the agency.
Ruku argued that NYS personnel can provide services in engineering, security, manufacturing, agriculture, and hospitality services to generate income.
