President William Ruto has instructed public service recruitment bodies to ensure merit, fairness, and transparency in recruitment and promotion, insisting that opportunities to serve should go only to the best-qualified candidates.
Speaking during the National Productivity and Performance Conference at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, Ruto said public institutions need a culture that values competence, performance, and innovation.
He said the expectation is for all public service recruitment commissions to recruit based on merit, fairness, and openness, ensuring the most capable people are selected to serve.
The President emphasized that career growth in the public sector must be determined by results, not the number of years an employee has served.
He said workplace advancement should follow proven achievements rather than simple length of service, adding that promotion should be the outcome of contribution.
Ruto directed the Public Service Commission to make constitutional values the benchmark across every public office.
He said that to embed this culture in the public service, the commission must ensure the values in Article 10 and 232 of the Constitution become the everyday standard for all public offices.
He warned that poor performance would no longer be accepted, while outstanding work would be acknowledged and rewarded.
He said performers and innovators would be rewarded, while non-performers would face sanctions without apology.
The President said the government remains committed to strengthening the public service through merit-based systems that tap employees’ potential and enhance service delivery.
He said the administration is committed to upholding merit, fairness, and transparency in the public service by embedding these principles in hiring and promotion, and by rewarding performance and innovation to unlock the workforce’s talent and expertise.
Ruto also tied the country’s development goals to investment in human capital, saying skilled and disciplined workers are crucial for national progress.
He said no nation can rise beyond the combined skills, discipline, and diligence of its people.
He added that Kenya must continually equip its workforce with new skills to stay competitive in a changing global economy.
The President said the government is prioritizing specialized training in research, science, and technology to build the human capital needed to drive productivity and national transformation.
He said the strategy reflects the path followed by countries such as South Korea and Singapore, which placed education at the center of economic growth and transformation.