Public Service announces changes in promotions of civil servants
Public Service announces changes in promotions of civil servants
The Public Service Ministry has announced sweeping reforms that will see government workers promoted based on merit, performance, innovation and other measurable outcomes.
The changes, announced on Friday, July 3, by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, mark a shift from promoting civil servants based on seniority and years of service to a system focused on merit.
Ruku said the reforms are part of the government’s broader plan to streamline operations in public service by embracing digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).
“Career progression cannot be based on seniority and years of service. Instead, merit, demonstrated results, and innovation should and must now become the levers that determine promotions,” Ruku said.
He announced that AI will play a key role in evaluating the productivity of public officers by automating routine tasks and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in real time.
“Moving forward, Artificial Intelligence will be instrumental in automating routine tasks and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in real-time,” Ruku disclosed.
He said the government will reward high-performing and innovative public servants while taking disciplinary action against officers who consistently fail to meet performance expectations.
According to him, the government is committed to accelerating digital transformation across the public sector, arguing that technological innovation is essential for building an efficient public workforce.
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The CS noted that the reforms are in line with President William Ruto’s directive last month, where ministries and state agencies were tasked with adopting a whole-of-government approach to public service reforms.
His remarks come just three weeks after the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) announced plans to overhaul civil servants’ wage bill through the introduction of performance-based contracts.
Speaking on June 16, SRC Chairperson Sammy Chepkwony said the commission was working to align workers’ pay with their productivity, drawing lessons from countries such as Singapore.
He disclosed that the government was considering a model in which an employee’s earnings are tied directly to their performance, allowing more productive workers to earn more.
“When the President said we are moving to Singapore, I personally went there and looked at how they pay their workers. Surprisingly, they do not have things like automatic payment processes, which we have here in Kenya,” he said.
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