President William Ruto has assured Kenyans that the government will ensure a transparent recruitment process for the positions set to become vacant in constitutional commissions. He emphasized that appointments to these critical roles must adhere strictly to the rule of law.
Speaking at State House Nairobi on Tuesday, where he received end-of-term reports from officials of various constitutional commissions, President Ruto acknowledged the challenges posed by the simultaneous expiration of commissioners’ terms in some institutions.
The commissions and independent offices whose chairs and commissioners’ tenures have ended include the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), the Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman), the Gender and Equality Commission, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).
“I am aware that in certain commissions, like the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Commission on Administrative Justice, the terms of office for the chairperson and all commissioners expire at the same time, leaving the organizations in a state of suspense,” the President noted.
He underscored the importance of ensuring uninterrupted service delivery, particularly during periods of delayed recruitment. He suggested considering pragmatic solutions such as staggered appointments to maintain continuity in the commissions’ work.
“The Office of the Deputy President, in close consultation with the Attorney-General and the constitutional commissions and independent offices, will be tasked with preparing a bill to give effect to the legal provisions for staggered recruitment of commissioners,” President Ruto announced.
The President expressed his appreciation for the outgoing chairpersons and commissioners, acknowledging their contributions to advancing national discourse on the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. He highlighted their success in promoting national values and principles of governance, enhancing inclusion and cohesion, sustaining public wage bills, transforming policing, and fighting corruption.
President Ruto also mentioned the government’s launch of the Zero Fault Audit Campaign, aimed at encouraging accountability, transparency, integrity, and good governance within the public service by promoting the prudent use and management of public resources.
“I believe that constitutional commissions have an opportunity to promote this approach in government ministries, departments, and agencies,” he said.
During the event, the Chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Lyn Mengich, reported that the public service wage bill had progressively dropped during her tenure from 51.5% of revenues in 2018 to 46% in 2024. She also mentioned that the commission had frozen salary increases for State corporations and streamlined allowances, resulting in savings of KSh11.2 billion.
IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori stated that the authority was “doing everything possible” to ensure police accountability, noting that 12,732 of the 20,000 complaints received had been resolved.
The Chairpersons of the Gender and Equality Commission, Joyce Mutinda, and the Commission on Administrative Justice, Florence Kajuju, also handed over their end-of-term reports to the President.
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