MPs push Treasury to end hiring freeze crippling public service
By Aloys Michael, May 9, 2026A parliamentary committee has called on the National Treasury to immediately lift the hiring freeze affecting regional development authorities and state corporations, warning that the directive is crippling operations, slowing development projects, and undermining inclusion laws.
The committee, chaired by Adan Haji, said continuous recruitment was necessary to help public institutions meet legal diversity thresholds.
“Some of these ethnic imbalances and exclusion of PLWDs by the authorities could be addressed through continuous recruitment,” Haji said.
The Treasury freeze targets six regional development authorities: Coast Development Authority, Ewaso Ng’iro North Development Authority, Ewaso Ng’iro South Development Authority, Kerio Valley Development Authority, Lake Basin Development Authority, and Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Mwanasiti Bendera told the committee that the Coast Development Authority had failed to replace 38 employees who exited through retirement and other causes because of the recruitment ban.
“The freeze has hit the authority hard. Our operations are almost coming to a halt,” Bendera said while appealing for Parliament’s intervention.
She further revealed that the authority had failed to attain the legally required five per cent representation of persons living with disabilities, with the current figure standing at only 1.8 per cent.
Bendera also explained that plans to renovate the authority’s offices to improve accessibility for persons living with disabilities had stalled because the building is classified as a national heritage structure.
Committee members warned that the staffing crisis was affecting development authorities across the country and threatening service delivery in rural communities.
“The authorities should be allowed to replace staff who leave,” said Duncan Mathenge.
Lawmakers acknowledged that although the hiring freeze was introduced to facilitate restructuring and reorganisation of financially strained state agencies, the process had dragged on too long and left institutions struggling to function effectively.
On his part, Fredrick Ikana defended the role played by development authorities in rural Kenya, saying they remain critical drivers of economic growth and employment.
“The authorities have been pillars of development and job opportunities in rural areas. Their operations should not be halted,” he said.
The committee is now expected to push for urgent intervention from the Treasury to allow affected agencies to recruit new staff and renew contracts to restore normal operations.