EXPLAINER: What you need to know about mandatory in-service training for public officers

The government has rolled out a series of mandatory in-service training programmes for all public officers in a move aimed at transforming public service delivery.

These programmes, now a condition for promotion, are designed to equip officers with essential leadership, management, and supervisory skills at different stages of their careers.

It aims to boost skills, ethical standards, and efficiency within the public sector, following concerns over a widening skills gap and declining service delivery

The decision to roll out the programme was first approved by the Cabinet on January 21, 2025.

It was formally communicated by Public Service Commission (PSC) CEO Paul Famba in a letter dated May 13, 2025.

“The Cabinet directed that the prioritised in-service training programs, including the Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP), Senior Management Course (SMC), Supervisory Skills Development Course (SSDC), and the Induction Course, be made mandatory for all staff in the Public Service,” Famba said.  

What is in-service training?

In-service training refers to structured learning initiatives aimed at enhancing the competencies, ethics, and efficiency of public officers while they are still in service.

These programs will now be compulsory and staged, depending on an officer’s job group and career progression path.

Which programmes are mandatory?

The Cabinet has prioritised four key programmes:

Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) is required for promotion to posts above Job Group ‘P’ (CSG 7) and the Senior Management Course (SMC).

SMC is a four-week course required for promotion to Job Group ‘N’ (CSG 8)

Others are are Supervisory Skills Development Course (SSDC), a two-week course for promotion to Job Group ‘L’ (CSG 9), and the Public Service Induction Programme, which is for new entrants to the public service.

Additionally, a Master’s degree remains mandatory for appointment to Director-level positions or any roles graded at CSG 5 and above.

Who will undergo training?

All public service officers across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are affected.

Officers already promoted without having completed the required training will be given a two-year grace period, ending in May 2027, to comply.

Famba directed that any officer who has moved to a higher grade without having undertaken the requisite training for that grade shall be given a moratorium of two years from May 13, 2025, to comply.

MDAs have been directed to develop training plans for officers due for the prioritised in-service courses, with timelines to ensure compliance.

Why the emphasis on training?

According to the PSC, a skills and competency gap across all levels of the public service has negatively impacted service delivery.

The gap widened after in-service training and certain academic requirements were temporarily suspended in 2020, following a PSC circular that cited concerns over their relevance to job performance.

The commission had argued that some of the requirements for promotion may not have been facilitating the acquisition of the envisaged skills, competencies, and other attributes required at the higher levels.

Through this transformation agenda, the commission has replaced Schemes of Service with Career Progression Guidelines.

A review is now underway to assess the effectiveness of these training programs in building the desired competencies.

Implementation and oversight

The Kenya School of Government (KSG), in partnership with the State Department for Public Service, has been tasked with delivering the courses.

A technical committee comprising key institutions in public sector human capital development has also been formed to oversee implementation.

Training will be conducted in-house, and the Cabinet has ring-fenced its budget from any cuts, underscoring its importance to national development goals.

Costs

The relevant ministries, departments, and agencies are required to foot the costs for their staff undertaking these courses.

At the Embu, KSG campus, for instance, the SLDP course goes for Sh152,000 for residential and Sh92,220 for non-residential.