PSC jobs
PSC Jobs in Kenya: Public Service Commission Vacancies and How to Apply
Every advert the Public Service Commission is running right now, checked against its official portal, with a plain guide to how PSC recruitment works.
Open rounds
What the Public Service Commission does
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the constitutional body that hires for the national civil service. Article 233 of the Constitution creates it, and Article 234 gives it the power to establish public offices and to appoint people to them. In practice this means that most jobs in ministries and state departments are advertised and filled by the PSC rather than by the ministry itself. A State Department for Mining geologist, a Ministry of Health records officer or a State Department for Immigration clerk all come through the same process.
The PSC also recruits for some public universities and independent offices through a separate portal, and it runs the national public service internship programme. Parastatals, county governments, the Teachers Service Commission, the National Police Service Commission and the Judicial Service Commission hire for themselves, so their jobs do not appear on the PSC portal. We track those in their own sections of this hub.
Where PSC adverts are published
The only place you can apply for PSC jobs is the online recruitment system at psckjobs.go.ke. The “Advertised Jobs” page lists every active advert with its number (for example D121/2026), job scale, ministry, number of vacancies, years of experience required, whether it is open to everyone or only to serving officers, and the closing date. Public universities and independent offices use pscims.publicservice.go.ke/puio. Adverts are also carried by the Government Advertising Agency and the national newspapers, but the portal is the reference copy.
We check the portal every day and give each open recruitment round its own page here, with the advert numbers, requirements and deadline copied from the official record. If a round is not on this page, it was not on the PSC portal when we last checked.
Open to the public or serving officers only?
Many PSC adverts are promotional posts restricted to people already in the civil service. The portal marks these “For Serving Officers Only”, and their requirements usually start with “served in the grade of … for at least three years”. If you are not a civil servant you cannot be appointed to these posts, however strong your degree is, so read the advert category before you spend time on an application. Posts marked “Open” accept anyone who meets the requirements.
Understanding CSG job scales
PSC adverts show a job scale such as CSG 8 or CSG 11. CSG stands for Civil Service Grade. The smaller the number, the more senior the post, so a CSG 8 superintending officer sits well above a CSG 11 technician. Lower-cadre posts may still carry the older letter job groups such as “D”. The advert itself does not quote a salary. Pay for each grade is set by the government’s salary structure for civil servants.
How to apply for a PSC job
- Register on psckjobs.go.ke with your ID or passport number, surname, email address and a password.
- Complete every section of your profile: personal details, academic and professional qualifications, work history, professional memberships and referees. The PSC says it will not consider incomplete applications.
- Open the advert, check that you meet every listed requirement, and apply before the closing date. You can amend an application until the advert closes.
- Print or save the feedback report (application summary) as proof that you applied.
- Track shortlisting on the “Status of Advertised Posts” page and in the newspapers.
If you are shortlisted you will need originals of your ID and certificates at the interview. If you are offered the job you will be asked for Chapter Six clearances (KRA tax compliance, HELB, EACC, a Certificate of Good Conduct from the DCI and a credit reference bureau report).
False information is a crime
Section 100(4) of the Public Service Commission Act, 2017 makes it an offence to give the Commission false or misleading information. The penalty is a fine of up to KSh 200,000, up to two years in prison, or both. Do not inflate your experience or attach certificates you have not earned. The PSC never charges application fees, so treat anyone asking for money to “fast-track” a PSC job as a fraudster.
For a step-by-step guide covering PSC, county and agency jobs, read how to apply for government jobs in Kenya. The PSC’s enquiry line is 020 4865000, and its ICT helpdesk email is pscict@publicservice.go.ke.