President Kenyatta: Report says there are no Njemps, Ogiek, Samburu, Somali and Taveta working at State House. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
A report by the Public Service Commission (PSC) shows that 297 of the 654 employees or 45.4 per cent of State House are Kikuyus.
The Kalenjin comes in second with 96 employees at State House and their share is equivalent to 15 per cent.
The two tribes’ dominance in State House is similar to their representation in the entire public service.
State House is dominated by members of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Kikuyu tribe, a new report that reveals disparities in the ethnic composition of the civil service shows.
The report by the Public Service Commission (PSC) shows that 297 of the 654 employees or 45.4 per cent of State House are Kikuyus.
The commission is struggling to ensure that offices funded by taxpayers have a face of Kenya with all communities given an opportunity to serve in the civil service dominated by the top six tribes.
The Kalenjin comes in second with 96 employees at State House and their share is equivalent to 15 per cent.
The State House workforce mirrors the two tribes’ presence at the highest office in Kenya since Independence.
President Kenyatta succeeded Mwai Kibaki, both Kikuyus. President Daniel arap Moi who ruled for 24 years before Mr Kibaki was a Kalenjin. Deputy President William Ruto is also a Kalenjin.
The two tribes’ dominance in State House is similar to their representation in the entire public service.
The two populous regions voted overwhelmingly for President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Coalition in the March 2013 elections.
The President has maintained that his government will severe the practice of distributing State jobs to political followers and tribesmen despite concerns that the Cabinet is dominated by persons from Rift Valley and Central regions.
Some of the tribes that have no representation in State House’s workforce are the Njemps, Kenyan Arabs, Kenyan Asians, Ogiek, Samburu, Somali and Taveta.
According to a diversity policy released by the PSC this week, all public service institutions will now be required to prepare measures to correct the ethnic imbalance.
These include “assigning recruitment or promotion quotas over specified timelines to MDAs (ministries, departments and agencies) with ethnic groups with acute under-representation to bring them at par with others.”
In the office of the Deputy President, three tribes take up 51 per cent of the 310 jobs. There are 54 Kikuyus, 54 Kalenjins and 54 Luhyas working in Mr Ruto’s office.
The Presidency Cabinet Office, which has 210 staff, is also dominated by Kikuyus who take up 35 per cent of the slots.
The hiring and appointment of members of the President’s tribe in government is historical and the 2010 Constitution sought to reverse this trend.
The Constitution introduced the ethnic representation requirements to check a historical trend where the tribesmen of those in power were favoured during recruitment.
“The values and principles of public service include representation of Kenya’s diverse communities and affording adequate and equal opportunities for appointment, training and advancement, at all levels of the public service of the members of all ethnic groups,” the supreme law says.
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto have struggled to portray their leadership as diverse but critics argue they have continued the flawed hiring trend, especially in the Cabinet.
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