PSC assures workers of their jobs

By ISAAC MESO

Kenya: There will be no retrenchment of workers once the rationalisation exercise is completed, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has assured public servants.

PSC Chairperson Margaret Kobia said the aim of the rationalisation exercise was not to lay off workers but to improve efficiency both at the national and county levels.

“The Government has no plans of retrenching anyone and no civil servant should be worried over the rationalisation programme,” she said.

The exercise, which will be under the Devolution ministry, is to be conducted at both levels of government and it is expected to reveal the exact number of employees the State needs and determine the pay schemes in the entire civil service.

Prof Kobia also put non-performing civil servants on notice saying they risk losing their jobs.

“We are not planning to retrench anyone but if a civil servant is found to be underperforming he will eventually lose his job,” she said.

She further noted that due to the large of number of civil servants who will soon be retiring, there was no need of retrenching workers.

However, the PSC chairperson was not clear on the fate of non-skilled civil servants and those who do not have academic papers but got absorbed into Government payroll system.

Accompanied by Transition Authority Chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi, Kobia was speaking on Monday when she opened a training workshop for members of county Public Service Boards and assembly service boards.

Harass governors

Wamwangi took issue with the Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) over their recent move of impeaching governors saying they were overstepping their mandate.

He said the move was paralysing implementation of various devolved functions at the county level and time had come for them to be controlled.

“The MCAs must be restrained from using lethal weapons like impeachment to have their interests met at the counties. Governors together with their county executives cannot perform their duties fully due to the fear of being censored or impeached and we as the oversight body will not allow this to continue,” he said

The chairman said the Constitution does not give any powers to the MCAs to harass governors and they should be allowed to work without intimidation.