Kenya Power and Kenya Railways Lead in Government Casual Worker Employment.
A Public Service Commission (PSC) survey shows that Kenya Power and the Kenya Railways Corporation employed the most casual workers in the government sector in 2023.
The two state-owned companies hired 80.3% of all casual workers last year. They used these temporary workers for repair and rehabilitation projects.
Kenyan law does not allow public institutions to hire casual workers directly. Instead, it says they should use contracted service providers.
However, the PSC survey found that many government bodies still rely heavily on casual labor. Nearly half (48.3%) of them reported hiring casual workers last year.
The survey also revealed that some institutions submitted lists of casual workers even though they said they did not hire any. This raises questions about the actual number of casual workers in the public sector.
State corporations and semi-autonomous government agencies (SAGAs) employed the most casual workers, with 76,925 (90.9%). Public universities hired 4,807 (5.7%), and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions hired 1,367 (1.6%).
Kenya Power alone employed 53,436 casual workers, which is 63.42% of the total. Kenya Railways hired 14,465, or 17.17%.
The PSC identified 259 institutions that hired casual workers, but the data they provided were somewhat different.
For example, South-Eastern Kenya University and Kisii National Polytechnic submitted lists of casual workers even though they claimed not to have hired any.
The survey also found that many workers were paid outside of official payroll systems. Out of 2,076 workers paid this way, 80.2% were not included in staff records. This lack of accountability is a serious concern.
The PSC has asked public institutions to follow a court ruling that says they should use contracted service providers instead of hiring casual workers directly when needed.
A Public Service Commission (PSC) survey shows that Kenya Power and the Kenya Railways Corporation employed the most casual workers in the government sector in 2023.
The two state-owned companies hired 80.3% of all casual workers last year. They used these temporary workers for repair and rehabilitation projects.
Kenyan law does not allow public institutions to hire casual workers directly. Instead, it says they should use contracted service providers.
However, the PSC survey found that many government bodies still rely heavily on casual labor. Nearly half (48.3%) of them reported hiring casual workers last year.
The survey also revealed that some institutions submitted lists of casual workers even though they said they did not hire any. This raises questions about the actual number of casual workers in the public sector.
State corporations and semi-autonomous government agencies (SAGAs) employed the most casual workers, with 76,925 (90.9%). Public universities hired 4,807 (5.7%), and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions hired 1,367 (1.6%).
Kenya Power alone employed 53,436 casual workers, which is 63.42% of the total. Kenya Railways hired 14,465, or 17.17%.
The PSC identified 259 institutions that hired casual workers, but the data they provided were somewhat different.
For example, South-Eastern Kenya University and Kisii National Polytechnic submitted lists of casual workers even though they claimed not to have hired any.
The survey also found that many workers were paid outside of official payroll systems. Out of 2,076 workers paid this way, 80.2% were not included in staff records. This lack of accountability is a serious concern.
The PSC has asked public institutions to follow a court ruling that says they should use contracted service providers instead of hiring casual workers directly when needed.
