Uhuru Declares PSC Chairperson Post Vacant

President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and the late PSC Chairperson Stephen Kirogo.
President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and the late PSC Chairperson Stephen Kirogo.
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President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared the seat of Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman vacant.

In a Gazette Notice on Tuesday, August 24, the President announced that the state was seeking to replace Stephen Kirogo who passed away on May 14, 2021.

The chairperson is tasked with overseeing the commission whose functions include establishing and abolishing offices in the public service as well as appointing persons to oversee them.

The commission is also mandated with exercising disciplinary control and remove persons holding office. It is also mandated with investigating, monitoring and evaluating personnel practices in the public service.

Public Service Commission chairman Stephen Kirogo at Pride Inn Paradise Resort in Shanzu, Mombasa County, on May 22, 2019.
Public Service Commission chairman Stephen Kirogo at Pride Inn Paradise Resort in Shanzu, Mombasa County, on May 22, 2019.
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PSC is managed by a board of eight commissioners and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The office was first held, under the new Constitution, by Professor Margaret Kobia who served beginning December 2012 until her appointment the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs in January 2018.

Peter ole Nkuraiyia then took over the position in acting capacity for six months before Kirogo was formally confirmed by Parliament for the post.

Kirogo passed away while undergoing treatment at the Nairobi Hospital.

In a condolence message at the time, Uhuru described him as a distinguished public servant who contributed immensely to the transformation of Kenya's public service by initiating critical reforms aimed at enhancing efficiency in service delivery.

Prior to the post, the deceased served as a Private Administrative Secretary at the office of the President.

Public Service Commission consists of a chairperson, a vice chairperson and seven other members appointed by the President with the approval of the National Assembly.

A person who has ever vied for public office or held a public office in the preceding five years is, however, not eligible for the position.

President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses journalists after commissioning hospitals on Tuesday night, July 6.
President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses journalists after commissioning hospitals on Tuesday night, July 6.
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