President William Samoei Ruto has defended his administration’s push for merit-based recruitment and performance reforms in the public service, even as critics continue to question governance standards and service delivery in government institutions.
Speaking at the National Productivity and Performance Conference at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, the President said Kenya’s future competitiveness depends on building a disciplined, skilled and innovative workforce.
“We are committed to upholding merit, fairness, and transparency in our Public Service. By firmly embedding these principles into hiring and promotion processes, and rewarding performance and innovation, we will unleash the immense talent and expertise in our workforce,” he said.
Ruto stressed that national progress is anchored on human capital development, arguing that no country can rise above the quality of its people.
“No nation can rise higher than the collective skills, discipline, and diligence of its people. To fully realise our developmental aspirations, we must make bold, substantial investments in our human capital,” he said.
He further called for continuous reskilling of workers to keep pace with global technological and economic changes, citing countries such as South Korea and Singapore as examples Kenya seeks to emulate.
“In a rapidly evolving global economy, we must be persistently proactive in re-tooling and skilling this workforce to stay ahead. In so doing, we are following the blueprint of nations such as South Korea and Singapore, which placed education at the heart of their economic transformation,” he said.
The President also highlighted a renewed focus on specialised training in science, research and technology as part of efforts to modernise the public service.
“We are also focusing on specialised training in research, science, and technology. This is a strategic move to train top-notch human capital necessary to power national transformation, drive our productivity, and secure shared prosperity,” he added.
However, the remarks come at a time when sections of political leaders, governance experts and citizens continue to raise concerns over corruption, inefficiencies and alleged patronage in parts of the public service, arguing that reforms have yet to fully translate into improved accountability and service delivery.
Government allies maintain that ongoing reforms, including digitisation of services and performance management systems, are gradually improving efficiency, though they acknowledge that deeper institutional change is still ongoing.
The debate underscores the growing tension between policy ambition and public perception as the administration seeks to rebuild trust in the civil service while accelerating its broader economic transformation agenda.
