The Kenyan government’s long-standing ambition to merge State corporations is quietly unfolding – not through public declarations or major structural shifts, but through a calculated administrative freeze.

Government agencies earmarked for consolidation are being systematically weakened through stalled recruitment, frozen promotions, non-renewal of contracts, and budget cuts.

Insiders describe it as a “silent freeze” that is steadily grinding these institutions into submission. 

The roots of this reform trace back to the 2013 Presidential Taskforce on Parastatal Reforms, which identified overlapping mandates, inflated payrolls, and institutional inefficiencies across the public sector.

It recommended wide-ranging mergers and realignments to improve services and curb government spending. In 2023, the National Treasury and the Public Service Commission renewed the directive, pushing for implementation under a broader rationalisation agenda. 

Among the affected are key institutions such as the Commission for University Education, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority, and the Kenya National Qualifications Authority, proposed for merger into a single regulatory body to harmonise oversight in higher education.

However, rather than announce formal closures or mergers, the government appears to be enforcing compliance by slowly draining institutional capacity.

Ministries have issued internal instructions freezing all recruitment in targeted agencies. As staff retire or resign, their positions are left vacant, leading to gross understaffing and deteriorating services. 

Employees who remain are seeing their careers stagnate. Promotions have stalled indefinitely, resulting in low morale and a quiet exodus to the private sector or other more stable public offices.

Contracted staff are quietly being let go, their contracts allowed to lapse without notice or replacements. This slow attrition is thinning the workforce without triggering backlash from unions or public outcry. 

The most devastating blow, however, has come through financial strangulation.

Many agencies report sharp, unexplained budget cuts that have left them unable to run programmes, pay suppliers, or even maintain basic operations.

With some departments reduced to skeletal functions, their core mandates are being left unfulfilled. 

Policy analysts argue that this silent enforcement strategy allows the government to downsize the public sector without facing the political costs associated with mass layoffs or controversial legislation.

It is a quiet restructuring by attrition, avoiding confrontation but achieving the same result – shrinking and phasing out the targeted agencies. 

The approach is not without consequences. There is growing concern about the potential paralysis in essential public services – especially in sectors like education, health, and youth development.

Legal experts warn that bypassing due process could expose the State to lawsuits, while public sector unions are preparing to challenge what they call an unfair and opaque process. 

Ultimately, Kenya must find a balance between efficiency and fairness.  

The writer is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Eldoret, a higher education Expert, and a quality assurance Consultant