The ministry has directed all government agencies to carry out a staff audit by September 28 that will help replace the growing number of staff who are exiting the service.
Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia say the promotion drive is meant to plug capacity gaps and address inadequate succession planning.
Treasury data show that more than 10 per cent or 59,400 of the half a million public sector workers will retire by June 2020.
The Public Service ministry has announced a massive promotion of mid and top civil servants as nearly 60, 000 government workers prepare to retire within three years.
The ministry has directed all government agencies to carry out a staff audit by September 28 that will help replace the growing number of staff who are exiting the service.
Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia say the promotion drive is meant to plug capacity gaps and address inadequate succession planning.
Treasury data show that more than 10 per cent or 59,400 of the half a million public sector workers will retire by June 2020, amid fears that the State will be forced to retain some workers beyond the retirement age of 60 due to a skills shortage.
The most affected staff are in the senior management levels and technical cadres with critical skills and competencies.
“It is therefore proposed that; each ministry undertakes a comprehensive review of its internal staff strength and the gaps or vacancies that exists at Job group R and S per cadre,” reads a circular by Prof Kobia to all ministries and Attorney General Paul Kihara dated August 8.
The ministries have also been asked to identify start performers serving in job group P-Q for promotion to job groups R-S and those in job group M and N to take the vacancies in job group P.
“This will therefore create space for recruitment and training of young professionals at entry and any other available levels within the civil service structure to rejuvenate the service,” said the CS.
About 19, 300 civil servants will retire in the current year ending June, 19 and 800 (2018/19) .
This has set the stage for a job crisis in a civil service that lacks a mentoring programme for junior staff to succeed their seniors in executive roles.
“At a glance, the current civil service data shows a weak staff strength of 63,368 in post against an establishment of 96,036.The implication is that the mainstream civil service is currently operating at 65percent of its optimal staff strength. Of the number in post, 53percent are support staff with only 47per cent being technical including those with critical skills,” said Prof Kobia.
She added that the gap is wider at the middle and technical levels where it stands at 46 per cent and 60per cent respectively.
The State plans to introduce management trainee plan this year to fast-track graduates into executive roles, trigger promotions and review blanket ban of fresh hiring to ease effects of the ageing workforce.
This would have an effect on the ballooning wage bill.
Public servants’ salaries consumed half of all revenues and were impeding spending on development projects in Kenya, a country where the unemployment rate stands at about 40 per cent.
