CS Ruku to civil servants: 'Gov't work is not side hustle'

If you thought government offices opened at 9 and closed for tea at 10, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Mr Geoffrey Ruku is here to shatter that dream—one locked gate at a time.

On Tuesday morning, as Nyeri town gently stirred awake under the misty highland chill, Mr Ruku was already pacing outside the regional government complex. It was 8am sharp. The gates? Still shut. The corridors? Echoing with silence. Staff? Still “on the way.”

Like a disappointed parent on visiting day, Mr Ruku stood arms crossed, his face a mix of disbelief and restrained fury. “Si hii ni serikali jameni?” he quipped, before directing that any civil servant arriving late be locked out. The gates clanged shut in response.

What followed was a string of puzzled workers—some jogging, others sheepishly walking in—finding themselves on the wrong side of the fence. A few tried pleading with the guards, pointing at invisible watches.

“I was just parking!” one insisted.

But excuses met a firm gate and a firmer Cabinet Secretary.

Speaking to the media (and to the shocked public servants outside), Mr Ruku didn’t mince his words.

“How can you serve wananchi when you show up after wananchi? Government work is not a side hustle. We must restore discipline in public service,” he said.

This wasn’t Mr Ruku’s first surprise visit—he’s already played gatekeeper in Mombasa and Nakuru.

But in Nyeri, the optics were especially sharp: a punctual CS standing at the gates of absenteeism, armed not with a whip but with the Constitution—Article 232 on public service ethics, to be precise.

Observers say it’s about time. Many Kenyans know the drill: arrive at a government office only to be told “Boss ako tea,” or “Ngoja mpaka afike,” or the classic “Leo si Friday?”

Mr Ruku, however, seems to have declared war on the gospel of lateness and its many apostles.

“Let’s not pretend this is politics,” he told a gathering crowd. “The time for elections is 2027. For now, let’s work.”

As part of wider reforms, Mr Ruku also hinted at biometric time tracking and performance audits through the Huduma Smart Serikalini system.

But for the time being, the message is clear: don’t be caught adjusting your watch while the CS is already locking the gate.

And if Tuesday’s scene in Nyeri is anything to go by, civil servants across the country may want to start setting two(2) alarms—one for waking up, and the other for reminding them: “Ruku might be coming.”

In a country where public service often keeps public waiting, the real takeaway isn’t just about punctuality--it is about showing up for the job Kenyans pay you to do.