Civil servants registration on track as Waiguru gives them five more days

Nairobi; Kenya: The ongoing biometric data registration of civil servants has so far captured 90 per cent of civil servants, Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru has said.

By October 23, the exercise which began on September 1, had captured 160,000 civil servants with the CS saying they estimate to register 175,000.

Those who have not yet registered have until October 31, to register, but, the registration will be conducted in selected areas from tomorrow, October 27.

“I’m pleased to inform you that the programme has progressed well and so far we have captured about 90 per cent of the civil servants,” she said.

The Biometric Data Capture Exercise was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on September 1, to facilitate the joint Capacity Assessment and Rationalisation of Public Service Programme for the national government ministries.

Its expected outcome is an institutional review which will enhance efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. It is being implemented in phases and the biometric registration is phase one of it.

Pending case

A case challenging the exercise is pending in court. The case affects public servants represented by the Kenya County Government Workers Union in six counties.

In the county governments, governors subsequently launched the exercise in two phases. Their phase one comprising 23 counties began on September 22.

Phase two of the exercise in the remaining counties was launched on October 13, and is scheduled to conclude on October 31.

The extra registration for those who have missed out so far will be conducted at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi and county headquarters in Bomet, Kisii, Makueni, Murang’a, Homa bay, Trans-Nzoia, West-Pokot, Vihiga, Bungoma, Siaya, Kilifi, Nandi and Baringo. Waiguru said those who will miss out on the exercise altogether will be declared “ghost workers” and struck off the Government payroll.

“From the onset, civil servants who fail to present themselves for the exercise without any justifiable cause will be deemed as ghost workers and subsequently removed from the payroll,” she said.

She has called on Principal Secretaries, County Secretaries and County Assembly Clerks to bring the information to the attention of the public officers accordingly. “I call upon ministries and counties to inform the public officers and to conclude the ongoing institutional review exercise by October 31, 2014 to allow the finalisation of this phase of the CARPS programme,” she said.

The remaining 13,000 civil servants are required to present themselves in person with; an original identification card, letter of first appointment to the service, letter of appointment to the current grade, original academic, professional and birth certificates.

In addition, she said, they must present a letter from their respective heads of Human Resources Department to confirm they are bona-fide public servants in their respective ministries.

Meanwhile, the CS has urged all arms of Government to embrace affirmative action, saying ‘the Constitution is the best thing that ever happened to the country.

Two-thirds

She quoted Article 27 (8) of the Constitution which says ‘the State shall take legislative and other measures to implement the principle that not more than two-thirds of members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender.

The CS spoke at a Nairobi hotel while hosting a dinner attended by women Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and women parliamentarians.

The women leaders lauded President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto for appointing women Cabinet Secretaries to Ministries with large portfolios

Women Cabinet Secretaries, Waiguru said, are serving in high profile and powerful ministries such as Devolution and Planning, Defence, Lands, Commerce, Environment and Foreign Affairs.

Present were Cabinet Secretaries Charity Ngilu (Lands), Amina Mohamed (Foreign Affairs) and Rachel Omamo (Defence). Several senior women government officials among them Principal Secretaries and company CEOs also attended.