Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku has called for a shift in how productivity is measured in the public service, saying government employees should be assessed based on results and service delivery rather than the number of hours spent at work.
Speaking on Monday during Africa Public Service Day celebrations at the KICC in Nairobi, Ruku said Kenya must abandon outdated measures of performance and focus on whether public institutions are meeting the needs and expectations of citizens.
“For far too long we have focused on the wrong metrics when rewarding productivity in public service,” Ruku said.
“Our focus must not be on the number of hours that people worked or stayed late in the office but on how we meet the needs and expectations of our countrymen and women seeking services in public institutions and agencies.”
The CS said the key measure of performance should be whether public officers provide quality services and meet targets within set timelines.
“Did the public officer provide excellent service to the citizen or not? Did we meet the target within the projected timelines or not?” he asked.
Ruku also questioned the current criteria used in promotions within the public service, arguing that advancement should be tied to performance rather than years of service.
“Promotions must not be based on years worked but rather on results,” he said.
The CS revealed that he has received numerous complaints from public servants who have remained in the same job groups for years without promotion saying that he felt overwhelmed by the complaints.
While noting that some officers may not qualify for promotion, he challenged public institutions to review whether existing human resource systems are adequately supporting career progression.
“I must ask, are our structures of human resource management in public service working best for our public servants? How are we addressing fair or unfair career progression in the public service?” he said.
Ruku called on the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes to work together in addressing the concerns.
The CS said public institutions must be designed to respond to both present and future demands, adding that Kenya should benchmark itself against countries known for high productivity levels.
“If Singapore or South Korea is our role model, then public servants and indeed citizens must start focusing on productivity per hour rather than mere attendance at the workplace,” he said.
Ruku said the push for improved productivity aligns with the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, Kenya Vision 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063.
He argued that Kenya has a large pool of educated young people entering the labour market but many remain constrained by inadequate support systems.
The CS said the public service has a critical role to play in enabling economic growth, innovation and efficient delivery of services.
“Our public service is the facilitator that we must agree is partially sleeping on the job,” Ruku said.
He said the country's development goals can only be achieved through excellence, accountability and stronger institutions.
“This vision is achievable if we maintain our commitment to partnerships, accountability and if we maintain excellence in public service,” he said.
