Thousands of Kenyans will soon be lined up for hire following the government’s order to lift a five-year hiring freeze.
In a memo by the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, Chief Executives of various parastatals, Principal Secretaries and Cabinet Secretaries will now have the freedom to hire Kenyans without seeking a nod from the President.
“State corporations with approved Human Resource Instruments will henceforth be exempt from the requirements of the Circular OF 28th July 2017 and can therefore recruit staff, including replacement of staff in line with the State Corporations Advisory Committee approved staff establishment,” said Kinyua in the circular dated February 7, 2022.
Entities which are set to benefit from the order are KenGen, KETRACO and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC).
In September 202, the National Treasury directed all ministries, state departments, and agencies (MDAs) not to allocate resources for new recruitment.
Budget allocations for the fiscal year 2021-22 to 2023 -24 were only meant to allow for normal wage drift to cater for movement from one salary scale to another.
Thirty-five percent of national government employees are aged between 51 and 60 years, while 53 percent are between 46 and 50 years.
The ages mean a large number of public servants is retiring annually.
The government is the biggest employer in Kenya and the lifting comes as the country recovers from Covid-19 ravages since its onset on March 13, 2020.
A number of companies in the country shut down and others shed jobs on increased pressure to remain afloat.
Kinyua’s move is strategic, with President Uhuru Kenyatta only remaining with just seven months before he vacates office for the next administration.
