Farewell Ceremony Held for Public Service CS Margret Kobia as Outgoing PSC Chairperson

A farewell ceremony was held on Wednesday for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia as the outgoing chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC) - a position she held from December 2012 to January 2018.

Through her social media, Prof Kobia expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the commission

"I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to the Public Service Commission fraternity that held a farewell luncheon for me this afternoon," she tweeted on Wednesday.

[caption caption="Prof Kobia's farewell luncheon"][/caption]

A representative at the PSC confirmed that the ceremony was held at Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi.
[caption caption="Rachel Shebesh at Prof Kobia's farewell luncheon"][/caption]

Similarly, Prof Kobia was replaced as the vice-chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

On Wednesday, Lawyer Mercy Deche who is the LSK representative in the Commission was elected to the post.

Prof Kobia broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to hold the chairperson position at the PSC.

During a previous interview with the Standard, she told of the hurdles to go through at the helm of the commission where she was in charge of more than 700,000 civil servants.

“I had to go through a very tough vetting process to get this job (chairperson). Most of the letters I receive are normally addressed ‘Mr’ because many feel that a woman cannot hold such a post. As women get to such positions, they must learn coping strategies to keep them there, how to delegate and surround themselves with talent,” she told the paper.

Prof Kobia has an impressive record having received a number of awards, including the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW), the Order of Chief of Burning Spear (CBS) and the Commonwealth Gordon Draper Award. 

[caption caption="Prof Kobia taking her oath of office in February"][/caption]

In October 2014, she was elected as the Vice President and board member of the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management (CAPAM).

She is a fellow at the Kenya Institute of Management and at the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya.