A Nairobi court stopped senior job promotions at the Attorney General office Thursday. Justice Byram Ongaya ruled the appointments broke constitutional rules and public service laws. The promotions happened without fair competition among candidates. Dr Magare Gikenyi and 227 other people challenged these job moves. Officials promoted 15 workers based on a November meeting decision.
The court found no applications were requested for these positions. Candidates never went through interviews or proper evaluation processes. Most promoted workers came from the same ethnic group and gender. Justice Ongaya said succession planning cannot ignore constitutional fairness requirements. Government lawyers defended their actions as necessary management decisions.
The judge canceled all contested promotions and banned similar future appointments. Future job openings must follow competitive hiring practices based on merit. The court also struck down law changes that gave Attorney General powers meant for Public Service Commission. Officials must create new hiring rules within one month. The Public Service Commission has three months to investigate these personnel practices.
The court found no applications were requested for these positions. Candidates never went through interviews or proper evaluation processes. Most promoted workers came from the same ethnic group and gender. Justice Ongaya said succession planning cannot ignore constitutional fairness requirements. Government lawyers defended their actions as necessary management decisions.
The judge canceled all contested promotions and banned similar future appointments. Future job openings must follow competitive hiring practices based on merit. The court also struck down law changes that gave Attorney General powers meant for Public Service Commission. Officials must create new hiring rules within one month. The Public Service Commission has three months to investigate these personnel practices.
