Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku leading the graduation ceremony.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has urged human resource professionals to uphold professional standards and accountability, saying their work directly affects the quality of services delivered to Kenyans.

Speaking on Friday during the seventh certification ceremony of the Human Resource Management Professionals Examinations Board (HRMPEB) at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Ruku said human resource management plays a critical role in how public institutions recruit, develop and manage talent.

“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.

Ruku spoke as 1,464 human resource professionals received certification, the largest cohort in the board’s history.

He said the government had supported efforts to professionalise the sector, 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 challenged the newly certified professionals to apply their skills in their respective organisations, saying the achievement should translate into improved performance and stronger accountability.

“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.

The ceremony was held under the theme Building a Competent and Compliant HR Profession through Certification, highlighting efforts to strengthen ethical leadership, professional standards and accountability in human resource management.

HRMPEB Chief Executive Officer Margaret Nguu attributed the record number of candidates to reforms that have expanded access to certification.

These include three examination sittings annually, certification for individual parts of the Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) programme and an option for private candidates.

Twenty-five candidates were also certified through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a pathway that allows experienced practitioners to have competencies acquired through professional practice assessed and formally recognised.

The board’s 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.

The record cohort comes amid efforts to strengthen the role of human resource professionals in organisational performance and workforce development.