Kenya Government Freezes Hiring of Civil Servants for 3 Years

The government has issued a directive to freeze the hiring of new civil servants for a period of three years.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani directed all government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) not to set aside funds for new recruitment in the next three financial years.

Paid internships and staff upgrades have also been frozen in the move aimed at containing the wage bill, according to Yatani.

“It is government policy to contain the wage bill to the medium-term targets,” Yatani said in a circular recently sent to accounting officers.

He added that money will only be allocated to the most essential jobs subject to the approval of the Treasury. If MDAs must hire during the period, they must obtain written approval from the Treasury about the availability of funds.

Budget allocations for 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 fiscal years will only allow for normal wage drift to cater for movement from one salary scale to another. CS Yatani did not state whether retiring civil servants will be replaced.

Given that the government is the country’s biggest employer, the move is expected to not only worsen Kenya’s unemployment crisis but also impede service delivery.

A recently released survey by the Federation on Kenya Employers (FKE) showed that at least one million Kenyans could lose their jobs in the next six months due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on businesses.