Public Service Commission The report, dubbed The Global Pluralism Monitor: Kenya, published by the Global Centre for Pluralism, says political leaders routinely invoke national unity and diversity but often favour particular ethnic communities and regions when distributing public positions and development opportunities.
“Political actors elected to office are known to make political appointments that favour specific ethnic groups or regions – a practice that extends across all levels of government,” the report says.
This pattern has weakened efforts to implement laws and policies intended to promote equality and inclusion among Kenya’s diverse communities.
The findings point to the persistence of ethnic calculations in elections, where alliances are frequently built around community identities and access to state power is perceived as a route to jobs, development projects and other public benefits.
“Successive presidents have benefitted their own ethnic kin by providing access to government jobs and directing development projects to regions allied with them,” the study says.
It argues that this has helped
entrench ethnic dimensions in political bargaining and coalition formation,
despite constitutional provisions requiring the national executive and public
institutions to reflect Kenya’s diversity.
The Constitution requires the composition of the national executive to reflect the regional, gender, religious and ethnic diversity of the country. It also provides for equal opportunities for members of all ethnic communities in public employment, training and career advancement.
However, the report says political parties often adopt the language of inclusion in their public messaging while relying on ethnic support bases and patronage when exercising power.
It identifies ethnic-based political mobilisation and zero-sum competition as major obstacles to realising the Constitution’s promise of inclusion, warning that such dynamics can fuel polarisation and mistrust.
Similar patterns can emerge in county governments, where local majority communities dominate appointments and resource allocation, leaving smaller communities marginalised.
And while devolution was intended to bring decision-making and development resources closer to communities and reduce the concentration of power at the centre, the report says it has not eliminated exclusion.
“Ethnic-based political mobilisation and zero-sum politics that lead to serious economic consequences and high levels of mistrust are worsened by an unwillingness to fulfil the Constitution’s promise,” the report says.
The concerns are reinforced by public service employment figures reported earlier this year.
A report by the Public Service Commission, published in January 2026, found that the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities accounted for more than one-third of 7,224 new appointments made by ministries, state departments and agencies in the year ending June 30, 2025.
The Kalenjin community received 1,250 appointments, representing 17.3 per cent of the total, while the Kikuyu community accounted for 1,208, or 16.7 per cent. The figures have renewed scrutiny of whether recruitment across the public service adequately reflects the country’s ethnic composition.
The numbers illustrate the continuing debate over equitable access to public employment.
The Global Pluralism Monitor cites historical regional disparities and political competition, noting that inequalities rooted in colonial and post-independence governance continue to influence access to power and resources.
It also finds that ethnic minorities, indigenous communities, refugees and stateless people face different forms of exclusion from political representation, public services and economic opportunities.
The report says constitutional safeguards alone are insufficient without effective implementation, institutional accountability and deliberate policies to reduce marginalisation.
It recommends strengthening oversight institutions, including the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and the National Gender and Equality Commission, to address ethnic mobilisation and discrimination. It also calls for more equitable resource distribution and measures to ensure county governments reflect the diversity of their populations.
The findings also question how political parties select candidates, negotiate coalition agreements and distribute government positions after elections. They also place renewed emphasis on the role of public service recruitment rules and oversight institutions in ensuring that appointments are based on merit while meeting constitutional requirements on diversity.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
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