Public servants staring at job cuts as State moves to ease pay burden

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru (centre), Kisii Governor James Ongwae and Public Service Commission Chairperson Margaret Kobia. RIGHT: Salaries and Remuneration Commission Chairperson Sarah Serem. [PHOTOS: FILE/STANDARD]

Kenya: The pain, it seems, is not over for civil servants as the Government embarks on a restructuring mission that could see thousands sent home later this year.

Last week, the Government appointed a team to determine the civil service staffing needs, suggesting possible lay-offs. Fourteen years ago, Johnston Oduor, an Engineer, nearly clinched a senior management post in a State parastatal. But his dream was cut short by Government’s austerity measures, where he, and 20,000 others, were left jobless after his post was waved off.