Interior ministry could lose over 12,000 workers in planned layoff, making it the most affected

The Interior ministry will be the most affected by the planned retrenchment of civil servants, as 12,185 of its workers could be laid off.

A confidential draft government report shows that of the 38,858 workers earmarked for the layoff, the majority would come from the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination.

Those targeted for retirement, if the draft report is approved, include 13,375 unskilled workers in both the national and county governments, while 13,830 are to be asked to voluntarily retire.

The draft report was prepared by the Inter-Governmental Steering Committee for the Capacity Assessment and Rationalisation of the Public Service.

Some 10,735 civil servants aged over 50 years will be requested to leave, it says.

To be retrenched too are 5,020 civil servants in Nairobi County, while the Ministry of Transport will have to let go 2,039 workers.

Other ministries and counties expected to lose large numbers of workers are Agriculture (1,828), Land (1,636), Devolution (1,505) and Education (1,393).

OPTIMAL STAFFING

In total, the national government will send home 19,157 of its 72,923 biometrically confirmed workers, after the audit by the committee and UK consultant Ernest & Young indicated that its optimal staffing recommendation is 53,766.

“In aggregate, implementation of the recommended optimal staffing levels would entail an overall staff reduction of 38,858.

“Coincidentally, the numbers affected would be about equal between national and county governments,” the report says.

Other big casualties in the planned staff rationalisation, which the government is expected to launch soon, include the Ministry of Health, where 963 workers are expected to be sent home.

Although the committee has proposed a reduction of staff in the National Government, state departments had proposed the recruitment of 53,093 workers, with the Interior ministry indicating 60,629 as its optimal staffing population. 

The retrenchment is, however, unlikely to affect the Office of the President, as the report reveals a staffing deficit of 179.

The Ministry of Defence was found to have met the optimal requirement in its staffing, while the Attorney-General’s office was found to have a deficit of 542 workers.

Others with a deficit include Sports (1,209), Labour (1,715) and Energy (99).

The ministries and state departments with deficits are expected to take in redeployed survivors of the retrenchment.

STAFF DEFICIT

And in the counties, where a majority of the former employees of defunct county councils are expected to be affected by the planned layoff, Nairobi has the highest number of excess workers, followed by Mombasa (1,752), Kisii (1,080), Nakuru (916), Kiambu (851), Tharaka-Nithi (568) and Turkana (492).

Homa Bay County is among the regional governments with a staff deficit, but it has made a proposal to hire 62,105 workers, according to the draft report, the largest proposal.

The biometric survey found 3,589 workers in the county but its optimal staffing base, according to the report, is 3,609, leaving a deficit of only 20 workers.

Other low-staffed counties include West Pokot, with 1,965 against an optimal base of 2,002, leaving a deficit 37. It has made a proposal to hire 2,050 additional workers.

Nandi County has a deficit of 36 against its current staffing population of 2,369. The county is proposing to recruit 3,966 additional employees.

Elgeyo-Marakwet has achieved the optimal staffing of 1,840 as proposed by the draft report, but it still wants to hire 2,565 workers.

“It is nonetheless noteworthy that the planned increases in staffing levels were dominated by recruitment in two priority areas, that is health services delivery and early childhood development.

“These services account for between 50 per cent and 100 per cent of the planned increases in staffing levels in 17 counties,” the report says.