In a move aimed at including all the 45 ethnic groups in public service commission, the Kikuyu community which is the largest of all is set to get at least 17% places in public service offices.
This comes after a move by the PSC to reduce the recruitment of the four major ethnic groups in Kenya to allow representation of the other 41 communities. The other three communities affected by the move include the Luhya, Kalenjin and the Luo communities. The three will only get a 13%, 12.8% and 10% representation in public service respectively.
According to a report done by the Capacity Assessment and Rationalisation of the public service in 2015, Kikuyus dominate the public service sector. The Luhya and the Kalenjin communities follow respectively. It is due to this unequal representation that has led the PSC to come up with a formula which will see all the other groups represented.
There has always been complaints about major groups dominating the public service sector while the minority groups are only given a few slots. This formula however may be the solution to the long-term problem which has made some communities feel marginalized.
The recent appointment to the cabinet by the president also met with a lot of criticism citing that some communities were given more positions than others.