CS Ruku: Public workers to serve under contract

A clash is looming between the government and civil servants over plans to revise their terms of service from permanent and pensionable to five-year contracts.

Kenya’s slightly more than a million civil servants could work under new terms in reforms to be proposed to the Cabinet.

Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku said his ministry is working on a policy that will change the terms of service of the 1,054,425 workers, who retire at 60 years.

A similar proposal in 2024 by then CS Moses Kuria sparked a furious pushback by the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS).

“We are working on public service transformation, which we are doing, and I will later be presenting to the Cabinet committee next week and later present before the full Cabinet,” Ruku said.

Public servants will sign contracts for five years, after which the government will decide whether to renew the contract or not depending on the performance.

The CS said Kenya's youthful population demands services to be provided innovatively.

He said there is a need to ensure that the services are being offered in a unified and digitised manner.

Ruku spoke on Thursday during the launch of the Public Service Commission Strategic Plan 2025-29 and Citizen Service Delivery Charter at KICC, Nairobi.

In 2024, UKCS secretary general Tom Odege called the proposal to end permanent and pensionable terms "reckless," arguing it would require extensive changes to labour laws.

He said the government could not afford the immediate payout of accrued pensions that would be triggered by such a change.

He maintained that once a Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed and registered in court, its terms—including salary increments—were legally binding and could not be altered or deferred by administrative circulars.

The PSC strategic plan CS Ruku unveiled on Thursday aims to transform public service delivery through enhanced efficiency, accountability, professionalism and citizen-centric governance, while the service charter outlines timelines and commitments for delivery of services to the citizens.

It outlines key reform priorities designed to strengthen institutional performance, modernise human resource management, entrench national values and principles of governance and align the public service with Kenya’s development agenda, including Kenya Vision 2030 and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda.

The five-year blueprint focuses on strengthening performance management systems to ensure optimal productivity at institutional, departmental and individual levels, enhancing competitive recruitment processes to build a competent, diverse and representative workforce, with special focus on marginalised groups and persons with disability.

It also seeks to streamline procedures to eliminate bureaucratic delays, including enforcement of service charters requiring recruitment processes to be concluded within 90 days and promotions within 75 days. Some Sh35 billion is needed to implement the plan in five years.

Ruku said the Public Service Commission plays a significant role in advancing the national development agenda by hiring and retaining qualified human resources to implement national programmes and projects effectively and efficiently.

He said the commission is expected to ensure requisite skills mapping, recruitment, and retention of skilled and ethical human resources through research-based interventions.

Human capital is one of the most valuable intangible assets to an organisation, Ruku said.

He cited five key components of human capital that are of interest to his ministry: employee talent, experience, management skills, institutional professional training procedures and client knowledge.

Ruku said the state is concerned about employee retention and turnover, compliance with labour laws and regulations, employee engagement and productivity, performance management and employee development.

The CS said the current administration, through his ministry, is concerned about the challenges the country faces in managing human capital.

“In our view, the most significant human capital risks in 2026 are talent shortages, skills gaps, employee burnout, and leadership succession issues.”

Ruku said over the years, public servants have been under sharp scrutiny by citizens and civil organisations for their poor conduct and lack of commitment to the values and principles of governance and public service required by the constitution.

“The resulting vices include delayed service to the public, corruption and impunity among public servants,” Ruku said.

The level of impunity, especially among the senior cadre of public servants, is shocking.

He said interns reported to work earlier than their bosses, a move that has compromised service delivery.

"At several institutions, public officers are not reporting for duty on time, and some service points are not operating efficiently. Cases of absenteeism, lateness and general laxity in adherence to working hours undermine service delivery and erode public confidence," he said.

Public Service Commission vice chairperson Mary Kimonye said the strategic plan lays the foundation for the future of the public service in the light of new and emerging demographical and technological developments.  

“The Strategic Plan 2025-29 lays a strong emphasis on technology, good governance, and the agility and innovation of public servants,” she said.

Kimonye said the shifting landscape of work dynamics, driven by generational characteristics such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha, pose new challenges for the public service.

She said the skills mix and etiquette of public service inherited from the colonial government may not be conducive to drawing out the best in young Kenyans entering the workforce.

Kimonye said the rapidly advancing technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and machine learning, will significantly affect the quality and efficiency of public service delivery.

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu said her office had identified several challenges in the public service including lack of or incomplete employment records, unmatched skills to roles and responsibilities, unsupported payments of salaries and allowances, manipulation of payroll data and over-staffing.