Mandatory interviews now await civil servants switching public jobs
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has introduced mandatory interviews for officers seeking switch their career paths within the civil service, citing challenges in determining the suitability of some of them.
Previously, civil servants were re-designated to jobs upon application but without interviews to determine their appropriateness for the new careers.
PSC has, however, introduced changes, including compulsory interviews and limits on the length of service before an officer would be allowed to take up a new career path within the civil service. The new rules took effect on May 1. The commission said job re-designation will be limited to grades of the employees seeking new roles.
“The commission has continued to receive numerous requests for re-designation, some of which have been considered and decision made. However, it has been noted that in most of the requests, apart from possessing the basic academic and/or professional qualifications, there has been a challenge in determining the suitability of such officers for re-designation to positions in different job families/cadres,” PSC chief executive Simon Rotich said in a circular seen by Sunday Nation.
“Re-designation will not be automatic but subject to suitability testing for employees moving from one cadre to another. This provision shall not apply to employees re-designating from one sub-cadre to another within the same cadre (i.e. certificate to diploma holders or diploma to degree holders).”
Professional qualification
Re-designations arising from re-organisation of government, abolition or creation of office will be considered on a case-by-case basis, it said. Interested civil servants will be required to apply to designated officers for vetting of academic and professional qualification. A verification report would then be sent to the line ministry for approval and interviews.
“The ministry or state department responsible for the cadre while undertaking analysis for re-designation shall consider the authorised establishment in the entire civil service. On re-designation, an employee can be deployed to a ministry or State Department where a vacancy exits” the PSC said.
Suitability interviews for re-designation at grades CSG 12/JG ‘H’ and below will be undertaken and finalised by the ministry or state department responsible for the cadre through HRMAC and a report submitted to the commission.
Interviews for re-designation at grades CSG 11 /JG ‘J’ to CSG 8 / JG ‘N’ will be undertaken by the ministry or state department responsible for the cadre through the HRMAC and recommendations submitted to PSC for consideration and decision. Interviews for re-designation at grades CSG 7 / JG ‘P’ and above will be undertaken by PSC. Interviews will be conducted at least quarterly both at the line ministry or state department and at the commission.
