Bill seeks to bar civil servants from serving in an acting capacity for more than six months.
The Bill seeking to limit the period a civil servant can hold office in an acting capacity has the potential to streamline succession planning in government and parliamentarians should support it when it comes up for debate.
The Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2019 sponsored by Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru seeks to bar civil servants from serving in an acting capacity for more than six months. If passed, this will stop the dithering and horse-trading that has often delayed appointment of key officers by ensuring that appointing authorities act within the law.
Seen this way, the Bill is a step in the right direction and could help deal with the numerous challenges caused by poor succession planning in the civil service. It will also make corporate governance more transparent and predictable.
Job progression in the Civil Service has no doubt been mishandled for decades due to favouritism and corruption. This has affected service delivery because qualified and deserving candidates are often locked out of jobs to create room for stooges of politicians and other interest groups. Succession planning is an essential part of doing business and no enterprise should ignore it no matter how certain the future may appear.
It guarantees continuity in operations in the event a position falls vacant either through death or sudden departure of a key member. The concept here is that individuals with potential for leadership have their skills sharpened and groomed to take over should a position fall vacant. Besides providing for continuity, succession planning also cuts the pain of costs and liabilities that come with recruiting new staff each time a key member exits office. It also improves loyalty among staff because they gain confidence as being part of the growth plans of an enterprise.
Having an officer in an acting capacity for too long affects decision-making, especially on long-term projects because of uncertainty about the future. This doesn’t augur well for productivity because of the resultant wait-and-see attitude towards work.
Limiting the acting period can help address most of these challenges and MPs should support the Bill in the spirit of a having a competent and vibrant civil service. Similarly, appointments and promotions should be done on merit except in exceptional cases such as to meet other constitutional requirements like gender and regional balance.
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