Integration of AI in government will not render civil servants jobless, but they will have to retool, says deputy head of public service

Deputy Head of Public Service Amos Gathecha has assured civil servants that the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into public administration will not render them jobless.

He said the use of AI in the public administration was to reposition the public service to be responsive, efficient and a future institution ready for digital technology.

“It is a strategic shift from old ways of doing things and an acknowledgement that digital technology, particularly AI, will define how the government operates moving forward,” said Gathecha.

Gathecha was opening a five-day conference for members of the Kenya Association for Public Administration Management at the Kenya School of Government in Mombasa.

He said the government had embedded digital transformation for good governance to respond to the demand of Kenyans for services.

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Principal Secretary in the Department of Public Services and Human Capital Dr Jane Imbuya, accompanied Gathecha.

Gathecha said that in the future, the government will use AI to select candidates for jobs advertised to reduce the time used while the applications are being sorted out.

He explained that since AI was reshaping public administration, it would be used to store data for every Kenyan so that when somebody is called for an interview the state officials will get every information from the individual at hand.

He said time had come when information such as certificates of good conduct should easily reflect an individual's information without asking people to go and get them from the police as is the case.

“This is not just a conversation about the future. It is about decisions we must make now to position public service as a responsive, efficient, and future-ready institution,” said Gathecha.

He said the integration of AI into public administration was not theoretical but happening now and hence the government will not be left behind.

He said the government had established a director of Smart Government in the office of Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service saying AI was a cosmetic but a reality working in the Government.

"This is not about replacing the public servants. It is about retooling and empowering them to deliver in an environment where data automation and real-time analytics drive decision making,” said Gathecha.

He said Kenya was entering a new frontier where policy, leadership and technology must align, adding that this called for a new mindset across the public service where one has to embrace change, innovation and continuous learning.

He said the fourth industrial revolution characterized by AI, robotics, the internet of things, machine learning and big data was no longer optional.

Gathecha said the new era demands that civil servants not only automate processes but also fundamentally rethink service delivery to Kenyans.

“We must use AI and related technologies to detect and prevent crimes through predictive analytics. Automate citizen services to cut bureaucracy, monitor performance in real-time using smart sensors and data dashboards,” noted Gathecha.

He advised civil servants to retool themselves and engage the citizens through digital platforms and re-invent city management through smart infrastructure.

“These are not aspirational dreams-they are already being deployed in leading cities and institutions globally. Kenya must not be left behind,” added Gathecha.

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