Deputy Government Spokesperson Gabriel Muthuma on Friday, March 15, revealed that some Cabinet Secretaries opt to hire advisors from their pockets as opposed to allowing a competitive process to be carried out.
During a media interview, Muthuma noted that taking action could be necessary to solve a problem that requires advisors' expertise.
He noted that despite taxpayers not bearing the costs, the advisors ought to be hired in a structural procedure laid out by the Head of Public Service.
"It is indeed true that the government has a policy. Those standards must be followed. Ruto has been very consistent. We are not there yet but we're on track," he stated.
"Somebody may be moved to get an advisor or two but there is a memo from Head of Public Service that talks about how many advisors a CS can have and how many people onboard."
"There's a letter they get from the public service commission which gives them their terms. Sometimes, we know people exaggerate and mostly one can hire advisors out of their own pockets."
Muthuma noted that President William Ruto was streamlining the government structures to deter such actions from occurring.
He reiterated Ruto's previous statements during the Naivasha Cabinet retreat whereby he warned CSs not to fall schemes from shrew businessmen who would use his name to secure deals.
"The president has called out some of these government officials for doing things that are not procedural," he stated.
He noted that the Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent institution that has laid out procedures for effectively vetting candidates before they are employed in government.
He added that the procedure is carried out to tap into the right skills on the market and ensure sensitive data from the government is properly handled.
Muthuma was responding to a report by the PSC which alleged that the CSs handpicked 250 advisors during the financial year ending June 2023.
This, according to the report, meant that the advisors did not undergo a fair appointment process where vacancies are advertised and qualified individuals go through a competitive process to secure the slots.
