Every day, millions of Kenyans interact with government services, often without seeing the complex machinery working tirelessly behind the scenes. At the heart of this system is the State Department for Public Service and Human Capital, a nerve center powering reforms that touch both public servants and citizens.
From Huduma Kenya’s frontline service desks to the National Youth Service’s nationwide programs and the Kenya School of Government’s training halls, the department is quietly transforming public service into a more agile, professional, and people-centered engine, built for the future.
“Our mission remains simple but urgent: ensuring every Kenyan receives dignified, efficient, and people-first service delivery,” said the Principal Secretary (PS) for Public Service and Human Capital, Dr. Jane Kere Imbunya.
In a bid to enhance transparency and accountability and better manage the public wage bill, the department rolled out the Unified Human Resource Information System (HRIS-Ke/UHR System), supporting over 500,000 public servants, with modules on payroll, pension claims, leave management, and establishment control.
The system aims to consolidate human resources and payroll data into a single, centralized warehouse, thus eliminating the manual and standalone payroll systems that are susceptible to manipulation.
“The HRIS marks a turning point in how we manage talent and resources across the public sector. It closes loopholes, enhances accuracy, and strengthens integrity,” Dr. Imbunya explained.
To ensure smooth running of the system, at least 187 HR Champions across MDAs and counties, who will act as Trainers of Trainers (ToT), have already been trained.
On efficiency, performance, and the delivery of citizen-centered public services aligned with Vision 2030 and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the Department has trained 25,000 public servants through in-service programs, conducted nationwide Training Needs Assessments, implemented the Competency Framework across 16 MDAs and supported counties by training 37,092 National Government Officers and 15,322 County Government Officers.
To address the rising mental health challenge in public service, the government is actively working on structured interventions, policies, and support systems to improve well-being and restore productivity.
Interventions by the department include the establishment of wellness units and counselling helplines (020 6900030), capacity-building for 426 mental health champions, and provision of psycho-education and specialised counselling to 58,032 public servants.
According to the Ag. Secretary for Counselling, Willis Ombima, his Directorate has been able to offer and handle counselling services to active civil servants, the public, and individuals facing hardships due to job loss, addiction, and other challenging circumstances.
To reach wananchi more easily, the Department has also opened active counselling desks in specific Huduma Centres, including the one at GPO–Teleposta Nairobi.
The Department further supported 68 victims and families through Psychological First Aid during emergencies and drafted the Workplace Policy on HIV, AIDS and Other Syndemic Diseases (2025) and the Post-Retirement Medical Insurance Policy and Guidelines.
Over the years, succession management in Kenya’s public sector has faced challenges ranging from an aging workforce and staffing gaps to skills mismatch and slow adoption of proactive training strategies.
Apart from training public officers and conducting training needs assessments, the department adopted a succession management strategy, which has resulted in 32,909 promotions.
Additionally, through the Kenya School of Government (KSG), the Department trained and certified 49,981 public servants between FY 2022/23 and 2024/25 across leadership, management, governance, and technical programs.
It also conducted Training Needs Analysis (TNAs), tracer studies, and curriculum reviews across multiple sectors. The government is laying out strategies to ensure leadership continuity, skill readiness, career progression, performance appraisal, and talent identification in the public sector workforce.
This progress is evident in the drafting and adoption of the Knowledge Management Policy and the Framework for Negotiation of CBAs in the Public Service.
With 59 operational Huduma Centres offering 161 physical services from 45 MDAs and 43 counties, and 22,000 digital services via eCitizen reaching more than 60,000 citizens daily, Huduma Kenya remains the trusted face of government with a customer satisfaction rating consistently above 90–95%.
The Department has conducted 300 Huduma Mashinani outreaches to deliver services to underserved and remote communities.
According to Huduma Kenya Secretariat CEO, CPA, Ben Kai Chilumo, several existing centers have undergone refurbishment to boost efficiency and enhance customer experience.
PS Imbunya noted that this expansion is fully aligned to the BETA Agenda, which aims to transform service delivery through people-centered and technology-enabled solutions.
“Huduma Kenya is proof that when government prioritizes people, trust in public institutions grows. Our goal is to ensure services reach citizens wherever they are,” she said.
Chilumo added that Huduma Centres record the highest physical footprint of any government service point in the country, with an average of 60,000 customers served daily.
“Last year alone, Huduma Kenya served 14.12 million customers. In the current financial year 2025/2026, we are targeting at least 14 million citizens served,” he said.
He further noted that 18 centers currently operate under extended working hours to increase service availability.
“Our focus has been on enhancing the Huduma customer experience through courtesy, dignity, efficiency, and attitude in service. These centers exist to bring government closer to the people,” he said.
Key improvements include Service By Appointment (SBA), which has reduced waiting time from 45 minutes to 10 minutes; Track My Service (TMS), enabling citizens to track the status of documents; the Universal Agent Model, allowing one staff member to provide multiple services; tele-counselling services for citizens and public servants; upgraded ICT infrastructure; and the introduction of the Huduma Life App.
On the other hand, the National Youth Service (NYS), a SAGA within the State Department, generated Sh 235 million in revenue through garment production, construction, water bottling, and other enterprises.
Recently, the State Department commissioned an ultra-modern conference center at NYS Naivasha and an ultra-modern bakery at NYS Gilgil to expand income generation avenues.
The Service further deployed 31,975 youths to projects in agriculture, security, construction, disaster response, and manufacturing and propagated 35 million tree seedlings while planting 226,797 trees for carbon absorption in line with the national goal of achieving 15 billion trees by 2032.
During this year’s Public Service Reflection Dinner and Agenda-Setting Retreat for 2026 at the Tom Mboya Labour College, hosted by the Office of the Head of Public Service, the State Department for Public Service was conferred with two awards: the Zero-Fault Audit Award and the Leadership, Governance and Integrity Award.
Receiving the awards, Dr. Imbunya expressed deep gratitude to her entire team for their commitment, responsiveness, especially to the needs and aspirations of young people, accessibility, and unwavering dedication to the highest standards of accountability in public service.
“These awards belong to every officer who wakes up determined to make government work better for Kenyans. You are the engine of transformation, and together we will continue building a public service that is ethical, future-ready, and citizen-centered,” she said.
by Lamech Willy.A
