Nyeri County faces crisis over ageing workforce

Nyeri County Executive for Health Rachel Kamau sweeps up litter along Gakere Road in Nyeri town after Governor Mutahi Kahiga launched a program to clean up the county towns and estates on 15/01/2018PHOTOS by Lydiah Nyawira

The county government may be headed for a crisis due to an aging workforce.

According to data from the public service board obtained exclusively by The Standard, close to 45 per cent of employees will retire in the next three years.

TWO YEARS

Chairman of the County Public Service Board Geoffrey Mahinda said based on the assessment of the workforce, at least 500 workers were headed for retirement in the next two years.

“This is a key concern for us as a public service board because this is a large number and we are in the process of putting in place measures so that we do not end up with gaps in key departments,” he said.

During the interview, Mr Mahinda said departments that would be affected most were agriculture, trade, housing and health.

“One of the challenges we face as a county is that as a former provincial headquarters, we absorbed a high number of government employees, most of whom were already on their way to retirement,” he said.

He also claimed the freeze on hiring of government employees in the late 1990s and early 2000s had also led to gaps in public service.

In January, this year, the board advertised 200 internship positions. The interns were to be posted to various county departments to gain experience. They will receive a one-year contract and earn Sh10,000 per month.

“As we go through the applications, we have noticed that a high number of people have applied for positions in procurement, finance, and information technology,” he said.

However, there is a shortage of masons, plumbers, electricians, mechanical and automotive engineers and surveyors.

“We required five surveyors and yet only three applied and they are all from outside Nyeri County. We need people with technical skills because these are the marketable professions in need of filling,” he said.

ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

Mahinda explained that while the internship offered a one-year contract, it was an opportunity to identify potential staff that could be absorbed into the public service in future.

“The internship programme is one of the ways we hope to mentor youth in the job market and give them some experience,” he noted.

However, while the board has expressed concern about the aging workforce, there are expectations that once the staff retire, the county will be able to employ more professionals.