CS Moses Kuria asks PSC to suspend recruitment of new and ongoing staff

Moses Kuria, Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management, on Thursday, July 4, 2024, called on the Public Service Commission (PSC) to suspend new and ongoing recruitment in the public service for the next year pending the establishment of a tripartite committee to address the most critical requests in line with the country’s fiscal reality.

The CS said the move was in line with the austerity measures announced by President William Ruto following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024.

The tripartite committee consists of representatives from the Department of Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management, the Department of Treasury and Economic Planning and the Public Service Commission.

During the suspension of employment, the government will conduct an audit and cleanup of all public payrolls.

In a letter to PSC Chairman Anthony Muchiri, the CS pointed out that the measure was crucial to bring runaway current expenditure under control and bring it in line with government-wide austerity measures.

“Given the expected budget cuts as part of the ongoing fiscal rationalization, I therefore urge you to terminate all new hires as well as all current and pending positions,” he said.

In a statement released on Thursday, Mr Kuria pointed out that the suspension of employment was in line with the recent directive of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, CS Njuguna Ndung’u, which he outlined during his budget presentation to Parliament on June 13, 2024.

“I also refer to the decisions of the third National Wage Cost Conference held from 15 to 17 April 2024, including the reduction of wage costs to 35 per cent of revenue as provided for in the Public Finance Management Act 2012,” he said.

The letter, which was also copied to the Chief of Staff and Head of Civil Service (Felix Koskei), the CS of National Treasury and the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Civil Service, directed that ongoing interviews for shortlisted candidates in the Civil Service should be suspended.

Citing the 2012 PFM Act, he pointed out that Kenya’s public service wage bill exceeds 35 percent of the national budget.

“Our current spending on salaries, allowances and social benefits for civil servants exceeds sustainable levels. It places an excessive burden on our public finances and hampers our ability to allocate resources to essential national priorities,” said CS Kuria.

The Committee is mandated to evaluate ongoing recruitment initiatives to ensure compliance with the directive on reducing public sector wage costs.

“Any future recruitment in the public sector must be justified by genuine operational needs,” the CS statement continued.