No Jobs for Small Tribes? Injustice in the Civil Service

Mzalendo Kibunjia NCIC Chairman

A recent audit report by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has unearthed great injustices in the public service jobs sector. The culprit in question is the government which according to the audit has offered jobs selectively to certain tribes breeding inequality.  In this report, more than a third of employees hail from one tribe. It further reveals that 8 departments of the government are breaking the law in this regard.

The fact is that 5 communities or tribes occupy more than 70% of positions in the civil service. The dominant community has 22.3% of the jobs and this is the Kikuyu community. They are followed closely by their Kalenjin counterparts who have roughly 16% of all jobs in the civil service. Luhyas, Kambas and Luos follow closely with about 10% of jobs each give or take. These revelations come against the backdrop of a new dispensation as provided by the promulgated constitution.  It is certainly a huge injustice on the smaller tribes that are also part and parcel of Kenya. The new constitution champions for equality and more so inclusive opportunity for wholesome development in the country.

All other smaller tribes make up about 2% of the Kenyan civil service. These communities include Taita, Maasai, Borana, Turkana and Teso. There are other factors that arise that are deep sited. Poverty and marginalization by previous regimes has contributed to the regress of these smaller communities. It is interesting to learn that among the major departments breaching the law is State House where almost half of all workers hail from a single community.  ‘The NCIC Act requires that no community should exceed one third of civil service posts and more than 10 government departments have broken this law’ said Mzalendo Kibunjia; the NCIC chairman.

In the police department, it was noted that almost 21% of the staffers are  Kalenjins and other tribes scattered with lower percentages. According to the chairman, there is nothing wrong in discussing these issues openly “We must not shy away from candid debate of the issues because in it shall be found the solutions to our problems and we have faith in the ability of Kenyans and love for their country,” Kibunjia said. Now that the state of affairs in this regard is known, the next step will be to find a solution that brings on board equality to create a Kenya that all tribes and communities can be proud of.

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