The employment of relatives of senior public office holders within the civil service must be formally declared and managed through established protocols to avoid conflicts of interest, says Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Luke Rokovada.
The clarification comes amid questions about policies and procedures to ensure the transparent and merit-based recruitment of relatives of permanent secretaries or heads of departments.
Mr Rokovada stressed that transparency is a key requirement when individuals related to permanent secretaries or heads of departments are being considered for employment.
“People are supposed to declare… whether the person is their relative or even a very good friend.
“They cannot just go ahead and hold interviews without declaring the relationship between them and the person being interviewed.”
He said any known relationship must be disclosed before recruitment processes proceed, including where the candidate is not biologically related but is personally well known to the official involved.
“People are supposed to declare that it is well known to me, that this is my relative.”
Failure to follow due process could result in investigations and administrative consequences under the public service framework.
“If they are found to be in breach… penalties or consequences will apply,” he said, adding that disciplinary measures may vary depending on the seriousness of the incident.
Mr Rokovada also pointed to safeguards within recruitment processes designed to ensure appointments are based on merit.
“If we know that a relationship has not been declared, then we will have to ask why it was not declared and disqualify them from being involved in the selection process.”
He maintained that such standards are essential to uphold fairness and public confidence in civil service recruitment practices.
