NAIROBI, Kenya, May 12 – The government has introduced a District Based Recruitment Policy, which will enable civil servants working under job groups A to F to be employed at the district level.
Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno said on Tuesday that the new recruitment approach would ensure the appropriate retention of staff in all districts and build local communities’ confidence in the government.
He stated that it would also guarantee the equal distribution of wealth by strengthening human capital in the districts.
“Somebody was recruited from Kiambu and is being posted to Moyale as a driver. The moment he reports to Moyale he starts saying that it is too hot, there are too many mosquitoes,” Mr Otieno explained.
“After six months, he is looking for a transfer back to a more habitable location.”
The Public Service Minister was speaking during a press conference where he outlined how the recruitment will take place.
“We give access to the residents of the district. If nobody meets our standards, then we shall re-assess the standards for that particular district, recruit the best person we can get then take them for a bridging course,” he said.
“Any such officers will now be available for transfer and deployment,” the Minister added.
Other sectors which have adapted a similar mode of recruitment include the Police and Armed Forces and Teachers.
Mr Otieno said the previous mode of recruitment had a lot of challenges, key among them the assumption of the same level of development across the country.
He stated that as a result, the needs of the less developed areas are not addressed.
Kenya is a geographically diverse country with great variation in environment and resource endowment.
The level of development varies from one place to the other where some parts of the country are highly developed while others are extremely under-developed.
The Public Service Minister stated that marginalised areas also suffer from inadequate education facilities and subsequently, few candidates excel in national examinations.
He said that this leads to low recruitment of candidates in those areas, since very few enrol in the national examinations. As a result, this leads to a very minimal number accessing job opportunities in the public service.
Mr Otieno also emphasised that the new recruitment mode will make concessions on requirements for appointment in the public service.
He said that all ministries and departments would be required to declare any vacant positions, which will be advertised at district level.
The standard entry requirements will also be adjusted depending on the challenges facing specific districts.
He directed that whenever such cases occur, they should be referred immediately to the Ministry headquarters for consideration and approval.
Once recruited at the district level, the officers will be eligible for deployment to any part of the country in accordance with Civil Service regulations.
Officers recruited on relaxed entry requirements will be expected to undergo appropriate bridging courses in order to bring them to par with the rest of the officers.
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