Civil servants angling for promotions will now face a new hurdle—performance appraisals. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has announced that no government worker will be promoted unless they have a consistent, well-documented record of performance.
PSC Commissioner Francis Meja, while addressing officials from the State Department of Public Health, stated that past cases of “unmerited” promotions had eroded efficiency across ministries and state agencies. “We’ve seen promotions happen without any traceable performance. That ends now,” Meja warned.
From now on, quarterly performance reviews will be mandatory for consideration. Supervisors across ministries and parastatals will be required to evaluate, track, and submit employee performance reports regularly.
The PSC is also working closely with other government agencies to fix long-standing HR challenges, especially within public health institutions. Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni echoed this urgency, calling for immediate reforms in personnel management.
The commission says the policy shift will boost accountability and professionalism, as only deserving workers will move up the ranks. Arbitrary promotions—often based on favoritism or politics—are being scrapped in favor of transparent, merit-based criteria.
This directive applies to civil servants across the board—from county governments to emergency service workers. No department is exempt.
In a related move, Labour CS Alfred Mutua recently revealed that the government is finalizing a productivity-based incentive scheme to reward top-performing employees. He said the goal is to motivate staff while driving efficient service delivery. “We want a responsive, efficient, and accountable public service,” Mutua said.
With the PSC’s new rules now in force, thousands of public officers will have to either prove their worth—or remain stuck in the same position.
By Nairobi