PSC issues hiring guide for State firms
By Oliver Musembi, August 14, 2023The Public Service Commission (PSC) has moved to assert its authority over State corporations and public universities after designing new human resource management guidelines.
PSC, which has been at loggerheads with various State corporations and public universities over their mandates, has said it will enforce the new guidelines defining management structures, policies, procedures and career progression that it said must be adhered to.
The regulations have been necessitated by the need to have uniform structures in administration and standards of operation.
“The Public Service Commission is ultimately responsible for ensuring that personnel practices in the Public Service are within uniform norms and standards, are objective and consistently applied in the Public Service and adhere to the provisions of relevant legislation such as the PSC Act and Regulations including the application of Values and Principles of Public Service,” PSC said in the new guidelines.
Dubbed “Guidelines for development and review of human resource management instruments for state corporations and public universities”, the regulations come at a time PSC is engaged in a row with Attorney-General Justin Muturi over whether it has powers to determine salaries for parastatal staff.
According to Muturi, PSC can review and recommend conditions of service, code of conduct and qualifications of officers in the public service to Cabinet Secretaries, but not directly to parastatals.
The AG has said the constitution and the Public Service Commission Act does not confer powers on the PSC to determine or approve terms and conditions of public service officers, code of conduct, or qualifications.
According to the new guidelines released by PSC yesterday, all Boards or Councils of State Corporations and Public Universities are required to develop and obtain approval from PSC on their Organisational Structure, Grading and Staff Establishment; Career Guidelines; and Human Resource Management Policies and Procedures Manual.
PSC says the guidelines have been developed to providing uniform norms and standards for application in the development and review of policies and instruments for management of the human resource in the entities.
They are further meant to entrench the promotion and reporting of national values and principles of governance in the management of human resources and institutionalising decision-making on employee matters for objectivity.
“They are also aimed at outlining the roles and responsibilities of the different actors in the management of the human resource function,” the booklet states.
Henceforth, all state corporations and public universities will have to seek authority from PSC before they can either create any new office or abolish an existing one.
“Each State Corporation will have an approved optimal staff establishment that will form the basis for staffing during the plan period,” the regulations state.
Each State Corporation or public university, will also have to formulate career guidelines for various cadres to guide progression of staff in their careers as well as inform other human resource decisions.
On management structures for state corporations, PSC sets the office of the Chief Executive or Director-General as the senior most officer.
From the CEO or Director-General, the next ranks are Director / General Manager; Deputy Director / Manager; Assistant Director / Assistant Manager; Principal Officer /
Principal Assistant Officer ;Senior Officer /Senior Assistant Officer; and Officer I.
Assistant Officer I to the lowest grade.
For universities, the senior most rank should be Vice Chancellor, followed by Deputy Vice Chancellor; Professor/Director; Associate Professor/Deputy Director; Senior Lecturer/Assistant Director; Lecturer/Principal Officer/Principal assistant Officer and Assistant Lecturer /Tutorial Fellow .