By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com

Civil servants and teachers who obtain government scholarships will now find it more difficult to quit following new guidelines. Staff who on scholarships will have to work in the public service for at least five years before they can to leave. This also applies to staff of public universities, local authorities, parastatals, disciplined services and commissions, the new rules announced by the Public Service ministry, say.

The government spends about Sh1 billion to train staff annually and some staff then leave for greener pastures after their studies. Previously, ensuring that the government got a return on its investment was uncoordinated. Each department dealt with the issue differently. Public Service PS Titus Ndambuki said staff will now sign a uniform agreement. Employees who violate the agreement will repay the full cost of the education.

â€Å"Officers are required to sign the agreement which bonds them to work for the public service for a prescribed period after their training,â€Â� said Dr Ndambuki. â€Å"Bond periods shall be as short as one year or as long as five years,â€Â� he said. Staff who will be bonded for the shortest period will be those sponsored for six and one year.

â€Å"The bond period would be determined by either the duration of the course or the cost,â€Â� say the guidelines on bonding public service trainees. However, workers who suffer permanent medical disability will be exempted. The contracts target employees on permanent and pensionable terms. Staff on probation, casuals, interns and those on contract will only undergo short-term training programmes that do not attract bonding.

The new guidelines also make it difficult for a staffer to receive a second scholarship. â€Å"An officer attending a long programme is expected to serve for a minimum of two years before being considered for another,â€Â� the rules say. If administrative efforts to recover money fail, the government may sue to recover it.