Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticized Ghana’s civil service, asserting that it is deeply politicised rather than neutral, as often claimed.
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Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, Kpebu said successive governments have consistently appointed politically aligned individuals to key positions in the public sector, undermining the supposed independence of the civil service.
“We say the civil service is neutral, but it is not true,” he said. “If you listen to high-ranking officials and read their papers, you’ll see they are partisan. They help the government in power.”
He argued that this perceived loyalty often leads to dismissals when new administrations take office and pursue different agendas.
“When a new government comes and says, ‘What you did under the previous government doesn’t align with my policies,’ you are removed. So, when people say the civil service is neutral, I think it’s a joke,” Kpebu added.
His remarks come amid growing public concern over the recent dismissal and subsequent reinstatement of over 100 Bank of Ghana staff, a case many see as evidence of political interference in public institutions.
Kpebu stressed that political influence within the civil service is systemic and unlikely to be eradicated.
“It can never totally go away,” he said. “Based on human nature and experience, it’s clear that partisanship will always have some influence.”
The debate over neutrality in Ghana’s civil service continues, as calls for reform and depoliticisation grow louder in policy and civil society circles.
