NAIROBI: The Public Service (Value and Principals) Bill 2014, which is supposed to be tabled in Parliament, is a wise piece of legislation, which will help sort out the mess in the country's civil service.

This Bill was supposed to have been concluded by the end of this month but the scope necessitated an extension.

Some of the provisions of the Bill seek to compel both the national and county governments to publish reports every year giving the details of all appointments and promotions in the public service and submit the same to the President and Parliament. The proposed law aims at correcting the perception that appointments in Government have been skewed in favour of certain individuals for political expediency.

One of the items on the agenda during the Opposition's Saba-Saba rally on July 7 was skewed appointments. For some time now, there has been talk of these appointments favouring communities that voted overwhelmingly for the Jubilee Coaliion in last year's election.

To emphasise their point, the Opposition has challenged the Government to publish names of senior public appointees because it believes this will vindicate its claims. This has generated a lot of debate and ethnic vitriol on social media.

The passage of the Public Service Bill, 2014 would therefore ensure equity and fester complaints about ethnicity in public appointments.

This Bill further seeks to instil discipline and sense of responsibility among public servants who for a long time have never really felt the need for dedication in the discharge of their duties. Unlike in the past, it requires public servants to maintain high standards of professional ethics.

A public servant will be deemed to be ethical and disciplined only after exhibiting honesty, integrity and transparency while executing duties. This is commendable as it will instill much needed discipline in the civil service.

Respect for the public, objectivity and patriotism are also enshrined amongst the values propagated in the Bill. These are standards that are markedly absent in the public service, which has not lived up to standards required of it in many ways.

It all looks good, but the public will be happier to learn that it also empowers citizens to raise complaints against public servants that arise in the course of their interaction.