The appointment of a probe team by government to investigate allegations that the recent civil service evaluations in some districts were marred by lack of transparency is a welcome move.

This is important since some people have questioned the transparency of the whole process. At the same time, there’s need to highlight the fact that the civil service should not be characterised by any form of favouritism or cronyism.

The fact that the government has zero tolerance for corruption cannot be over-emphasised.

The investigations will help re-assure the public and civil servants of the good intentions and transparency of this evaluation exercise.

It must be recalled that a lean, efficient and effective civil service is key to the successful implementation of government programmes, be it local or national levels. It is indeed important that the public has confidence in the way the hiring is carried out.

And by putting in place the probe team, the relevant ministries have done the right thing. Hopefully, this will address the concerns of those who claim to have been unfairly affected by the evaluation.

What is important as the team begins to investigate the claims is for it to execute its mandate in a speedy and open manner. This will help ensure that its findings are sufficiently credible to avoid any further disputes. 

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