CS Ruku calls for higher standards as 1,464 HR professionals certified

Public Service Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has challenged human resource professionals to demonstrate greater accountability and competence, saying their role in managing public sector employees directly affects service delivery.

Ruku said human resource officers determine how government institutions recruit staff, manage performance and develop talent, urging newly certified practitioners to translate their qualifications into improved organisational performance.

“Human Resource Management is not merely an administrative function. It determines who joins the public service, how talent is developed, performance managed, careers advanced, and accountability maintained and ultimately, how effectively government serves its citizens,” he said.

The CS spoke on Friday during the seventh certification ceremony of the Human Resource Management Professionals Examinations Board (HRMPEB) at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, where 1,464 practitioners received certification, the largest cohort in the board’s history.

Ruku attributed the growing emphasis on professional certification to government efforts to strengthen standards in human capital management, citing a February circular issued by the State Department for Public Service and Human Capital Development requiring human resource professionals to be certified.

“The message is clear: those entrusted with managing our national human capital must demonstrate the professional competence the role demands,” Ruku said.

He urged the newly certified practitioners to uphold the standards expected of them and ensure their training contributes to more effective management of employees in both public and private sector organisations.

“To our 1,464 CHRP finalists, today is your day. Celebrate this achievement but when the celebrations are over and you return to your organisations, remember: Kenya expects more from you,” he said.

HRMPEB Chief Executive Officer Margaret Nguu said the record number of candidates reflected reforms introduced to expand access to professional certification.

The changes include three examination sittings annually, certification for individual parts of the Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) programme and an option for candidates to sit the examinations privately.

The ceremony also marked the certification of 25 candidates through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a process that allows experienced practitioners to have skills acquired through professional practice assessed and formally recognised.

The certification programme is supported by the State Department for Public Service and Human Capital Development, the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM), training institutions and employers.