The Public Service Commission (PSC) has issued a firm directive stating that going forward, promotions within all government ministries, departments, and agencies will be strictly based on job performance.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with officials from the State Department of Public Health on Monday, July 21, PSC Commissioner Francis Meja emphasized that no civil servant will be promoted unless they have undergone a proper performance appraisal and shown satisfactory results.
According to Meja, the tradition of promoting staff without evaluating their work has significantly hurt the efficiency and productivity of public service delivery.
He noted that some employees have risen through the ranks despite lacking the qualifications, achievements, or consistent job performance required for such positions.
“We’ve seen numerous cases where promotions were given without clear evidence of competence or job performance. This trend has weakened the standards and effectiveness of the public sector,” Meja stated.
“From now on, no promotion will be approved unless it is backed by results from quarterly performance evaluations.”
The Commissioner urged supervisors and heads of departments in all state offices, ministries, parastatals, and government agencies to closely monitor the performance of their staff.
He also directed them to ensure that employees meet their set targets and that regular reports are submitted to track their progress.
Meja further pointed out that all promotions must be based on fair, transparent, and objective criteria to ensure that only skilled, committed, and deserving public servants are considered for higher positions.
He also stressed the importance of cooperation among various departments to help resolve long-standing human resource challenges. Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni echoed this concern, admitting that staffing issues in some departments have remained unresolved for far too long.
The PSC reiterated that the newly adopted performance-based promotion system is designed to instill discipline, professionalism, and accountability within the public service. It also aims to ensure that government workers deliver quality services to Kenyans efficiently and responsibly.
The directive applies to a broad range of employees under the PSC’s jurisdiction — including central government staff, county workers, local authority personnel, and those in public emergency services.
This announcement comes shortly after Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua revealed plans to introduce incentive programs to boost performance.
During a meeting with officials from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on Thursday, July 10, CS Mutua said the government is exploring ways to reward civil servants based on productivity.
“We are looking into introducing productivity-based incentives to recognize workers who meet or exceed their performance targets,” Mutua stated. “This is part of our broader goal to build an efficient, transparent, and results-driven public service.”
With both PSC and the Ministry of Labour aligned on this shift toward performance-based policies, the government appears committed to reforming the public sector into a more accountable and merit-based system.
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