Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo has dismissed Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani’s directive freezing hiring of civil servants for three years.
He said the CS usurped the domain of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Public Service Commission. Odhiambo said Yatani's mandate is to ensure prudent use of resources and not recruitment. He spoke to the Star on the phone.
“Where does the Cabinet secretary want new graduates to go and many Kenyans who are still looking for jobs?” Odhiambo asked.
He reminded Yatani that many Kenyans have lost employment because of the Covid-19 crisis and issuing such a directive is like adding salt to injury. It is paradoxical for the CS to lie to Kenyans that the economy is growing while at the same time freeze employment, Odhiambo said.
The legislator said Yatani should have instead advised civil servants aged above 50 to retire to make room for new blood. "It’s a wrong decision that should have been widely consulted before coming to such a conclusion when the county’s economy is also bleeding.”
The government is the biggest employer in Kenya and the cutback will greatly aggravate the employment crisis and could impede service delivery.
Thirty-five per cent of national government employees are aged between 51 and 60, while 53 per cent are between 46 and 50.
Yatani directed all ministries, state departments, paid internship, staff upgrades and agencies (MDAs) not to allocate resources for such activities. In a circular to accounting officers, he said only the most essential jobs will be budgeted for or advertised with the prior express approval of the Treasury.
Budget allocations for 2021-22 to 2023-24 will only allow normal wage drift to cater for movement from one salary scale to another. When hiring is critical, MDAs must obtain written approval from Yatani's office to ensure the availability of funds.
Only after getting the go-ahead will state entities consult the SRC to make funding adjustments.
