The Commission dates back to 1954 when Civil Service Commission was established by British Colonial Government following Holmes Commission Report, 1948; Civil Service Commission was advisory to the Governor in matters of appointments; At independence in 1963 it was enshrined in the constitution and renamed Public Service Commission; Independence Constitution had Regional PSC’s but abolished in 1964 following constitutional amendments; It is the oldest Constitutional Commission and its mandate has expanded over the years. The Commission then constituted of a chairman, a deputy chairman and fifteen members all appointed by the President. The Commission, since then, has handled matters of human resource management in the public service especially the civil service and local authorities. Constitution of Kenya, 2010 promulgated on 27th August 2010 reconstituted the Commission with a redefined and expanded mandate and a lean membership.

For appointment to this grade, a candidate must have:-

• Served  for a minimum period of  eight (8) years, two (2) of which should be in the grade of Senior Tourism Research, Policy and Innovation Officer, CSG 9 and above, or in a comparable and relevant  position in the wider public service;
• A Bachelors Degree in any of the following disciplines: Tourism, Tourism Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Eco-tourism, Hotel and Institutional Management and Information Technology, Environmental Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation, Travel, Tour Operations Management, Travel and Tourism Management, Hotel and Hospitality Management, Sociology, Geography, Business Administration, Commerce (Marketing Option, Accounting Option) Economics, Statistics or International Relations from a university recognized in Kenya;
• Demonstrated professional competence as reflected in work performance and results.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Specific duties and responsibilities at this level will include:-

• Developing, reviewing programs for implementation of national tourism policies, standards, norms, regulations and guidelines;
• Supporting the implementation of national tourism legislation, plans and strategies;
• Collaborating sectoral implementation of the National Tourism Blueprint (NTB 2030) and Kenya’s vision 2030 programmes and projects;
• Coordinating the setting of national goals, targets and indicators for sustainable tourism development;
• Monitoring  and evaluating on the effectiveness of the implementation of the national tourism policies plans, codes, strategies and Tourism Act by the various actors;
• Undertaking transfer of technologies for competitive development of tourism products and services;
• Supporting and inspiring tourism product innovation and change;
• Supporting the development of relevant human capital for the Tourism Sector;
• Undertaking the development and implementation of knowledge management strategies and projects;
• Providing input in the development of an implementation framework and criteria for vetting expatriates working in the tourism sector;
• Liaising with stakeholders in the development, proposing and oversighting incentives in the tourism sector including policy, fiscal,  tax, administrative;
• Developing and monitoring implementation of tourism  codes of practice;
• Establishing and maintaining a tourism database to harness information of all tourism establishments and industry actors; and
• Conducting relevant research for development and promotion of tourism.