Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku has warned absent government employees of disciplinary action.
Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku says interns made up nearly 90 per cent of staff present during his surprise visit to Kajiado government offices.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has threatened disciplinary action over Kajiado office absenteeism after a surprise inspection. He said most public servants were missing from their workstations when he arrived after 9am.
Ruku visited the government offices on Monday, November 2, following reports that employees were neglecting their duties. He said the inspection aimed to check whether national government staff were carrying out their responsibilities.
However, only a handful of employees had reported to work, Ruku said. His team established that government interns accounted for nearly 90 per cent of those present.
Kajiado office absenteeism puts supervisors under scrutiny
Ruku said the interns were working without guidance from senior officers. He also reported similar attendance patterns during visits to government offices in Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nyeri.
In those locations, he said, interns appeared more punctual than the officers responsible for supervising them. Ruku blamed weak supervision for the attendance problems and noted that human resource officers were also absent.
Those managers have responsibility for monitoring attendance and submitting accurate reports, he said. Their absence therefore drew scrutiny alongside that of other employees missing from their desks.
The CS said he would discipline two officers in Kajiado and take action against other senior staff. For employees under his ministry, he pledged immediate action to ensure offices operated properly.
Christmas leave requires approval
Beyond the inspection, Ruku reminded public servants that Christmas leave had not begun. He urged employees to continue reporting for duty until they had authorisation to take time off.
Kenya’s Christmas public holidays in 2026 fall on Friday, December 25, and Saturday, December 26. Government offices observe these gazetted holidays, but the festive period does not create an automatic nationwide shutdown.
Instead, approved leave arrangements and departmental procedures govern any additional absence from work. Because Boxing Day falls on Saturday, office resumption depends on applicable public service schedules and any further government holiday announcement.
Teachers, meanwhile, follow the Ministry of Education’s school calendar rather than the same office attendance arrangements. Term Three ended on October 23, marking the start of the scheduled school break. However, teachers handling national examinations may continue working during the examination period.
