Staff Appraisal Template Kenya: Employer Guide

A staff appraisal template in Kenya should record agreed job targets, actual results, supporting evidence, employee comments and development actions. Private employers should use a role-specific form rather than treat PSC 37A or PSC 37B as compulsory company templates. Copy the editable structure below, agree expectations before assessment, and keep any termination process separate from the appraisal.

Which Appraisal Form Should You Use?

PSC 37A is expressly for public-service officers in Job Group J and above and equivalent grades. Officers in Job Group H and below use PSC 37B. The Public Service Commission's Performance Management Regulations apply to public bodies and people holding or acting in offices in those bodies, not as a universal private-company appraisal system.

For a public-service review, obtain the applicable institutional form. The official PSC 37A download is linked under Sources; check its stated coverage before using it.

For a private employer, the structure below is a recommended working template, not a government-prescribed form. Align it with the employee's role and your performance policy. Keep the agreed version alongside the job description in your employee-management records.

Copyable Staff Appraisal Template

Copy these fields into your document or HR system. Complete expectations at the start of the review period, then add results and comments during the evaluation.

Employee and Review Details

• Employee name and staff identifier:
• Job title, department and work location:
• Supervisor and reviewing manager:
• Review type: annual, interim or probation:
• Review period and meeting date:
• Job description or role profile used:
• Date targets were agreed:
• Changes to responsibilities or targets, including agreement dates:

Employee Self-Review

• Main achievements and supporting evidence:
• Targets not achieved and explanation:
• Workload, equipment or dependency barriers:
• Support requested and support received:
• Skills the employee wants to develop:

Ask for work examples, not an essay about attitude. This gives the supervisor evidence to test and identifies disagreements before the review meeting.

Agreed Targets and Results

Repeat this block for each objective:

• Objective and connection to departmental priorities:
• Agreed KPI and definition:
• Target and completion date:
• Evidence source and person responsible for maintaining it:
• Relative importance or agreed weighting, if used:
• Actual result:
• Employee explanation:
• Supervisor assessment and evidence reference:
• Barriers outside the employee's control:
• Rating and reason:

Useful evidence sources include approved work records, quality checks, customer case logs and completed deliverables. Record the relevant reference rather than copying unrelated customer or colleague information into the form.

Job-Relevant Behaviours

For each behaviour, record the expected standard, an observed example, the employee's response and the supervisor's assessment.

Use observable descriptions: follows the agreed escalation process, provides usable handover notes, or checks work before submission. Avoid labels such as “not committed” without identifying the conduct and its effect on work.

Overall Assessment and Development

• Overall assessment and explanation:
• Strengths supported by examples:
• Areas needing improvement:
• Development action or training:
• Manager support, resources or coaching:
• Action owner:
• Agreed completion date and next check-in:
• Proposed outcome and approving manager:

Keep results and behaviours distinguishable. A strong impression of someone's teamwork should not conceal missed deliverables, and an output score should not erase documented conduct concerns.

Employee Comments and Acknowledgement

• Employee comments on the assessment:
• Disputed findings and supporting evidence:
• Reviewer response and any amendments:
• Unresolved issues referred for internal review:
• Employee acknowledgement and date:
• Supervisor signature and date:
• Reviewing manager signature and date:

Suggested acknowledgement: “I acknowledge that this appraisal has been discussed with me and that I have received a copy. My acknowledgement does not necessarily mean agreement with every finding.”

Set Fair KPIs Before Scoring Performance

In Kamau v Kevian Kenya Ltd, the court held that performance evaluation must be against pre-set goals discussed and agreed between employer and employee. A manager should not invent the standard after seeing the result.

The PSC model similarly uses SMART targets aligned with the organisational annual work plan and requires ratings supported by verifiable evidence. For a company template, make each target specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

For a customer-support role, define what counts as a resolved case, where completion is recorded and how quality is checked. For a stores role, distinguish stock-record accuracy from delays caused by supplier deliveries. Agree how changed duties, missing resources and dependencies will be recorded.

If attendance is relevant, use reliable attendance records, but do not treat presence as proof that output or quality targets were achieved.

Choose a Rating Method You Can Explain

A private-company option is a descriptive scale: exceeds expectations, meets expectations, partly meets expectations and does not meet expectations. Define each label before use and explain what evidence distinguishes neighbouring ratings.

If using weighted KPIs, agree their relative importance before assessment and document the calculation method. Do not silently change weights at the final review to produce a preferred outcome.

For manager calibration, keep a separate sheet recording the role, proposed rating, evidence, comparable work standards, reviewer questions and reasons for any adjustment. Calibration should check consistency, not force employees into predetermined categories.

Adapt the Template to the Review Stage

For an interim check-in, focus on progress, obstacles, support and agreed changes to targets. Retain the original expectations and document revisions rather than overwriting the history.

For a probation review, focus on the duties and standards communicated for the role, induction support, observed work and the employee's response. Keep the assessment separate from the approval of any employment decision.

For a performance improvement plan, add a focused action block:

• Specific performance gap and evidence:
• Required standard already communicated:
• Improvement actions:
• Employer support and responsible manager:
• Review dates agreed for the plan:
• Evidence used to assess progress:
• Employee comments and recorded outcome:

Choose review dates suited to the work being assessed. A plan should give the employee a clear understanding of the improvement required, not merely repeat “performance must improve”.

Keep Appraisal Separate From Termination

Use an ordinary appraisal to assess work and plan development. Use a PIP to record gaps, support and progress. If issuing a disciplinary warning, document it separately rather than hiding it inside a routine review acknowledgement.

Where termination for poor performance is contemplated, section 41 of the Employment Act requires the employer to explain the reason in a language the employee understands, allow another employee or shop-floor union representative to be present, and hear and consider representations.

Sections 43 and 45 require proof of the reason and a valid, fair reason supported by fair procedure. An appraisal score or completed PIP does not replace those requirements. See the Kenya termination procedure guide before moving from assessment to termination.

Handle Disputes and Records Properly

Provide a review route outside the original supervisor where practicable. Record the employee's evidence, the reviewer's findings and any correction. The PSC model allows dissatisfied appraisees to appeal to the relevant MDA Performance Management Committee or CHRAC; a company should name its own internal reviewer rather than copy that institutional route.

Appraisal records are personal data. The Data Protection Act includes lawful-processing, minimisation, quality and security principles, and addresses retention limits. The General Regulations require retention only as long as reasonably necessary for the lawful purpose.

Explain the record's purpose, restrict access to relevant HR and management staff, and document retention and disposal arrangements. Avoid irrelevant health, family or personal commentary in free-text fields.

Sources

Public Service Commission: PSC 37A - Form coverage, SMART targets, verifiable evidence and appraisal appeals.

Kenya Law: Public Service Commission (Performance Management) Regulations, 2021 - Public-body scope and defined performance period.

Kenya Law: Employment Act - Poor-performance hearing requirements and proof of fair termination reasons and procedure.

Kenya Law: Kamau v Kevian Kenya Ltd - Evaluation against pre-set, discussed and agreed goals.

Kenya Law: Data Protection Act, 2019 - Personal-data handling principles and retention limits.

Kenya Law: Data Protection (General) Regulations, 2021 - Retention only as long as reasonably necessary for the lawful purpose.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official staff appraisal form for private employers in Kenya?+

PSC 37A and PSC 37B are public-service forms, not compulsory templates for every private employer. PSC 37A covers officers in Job Group J and above and equivalent grades, while PSC 37B covers Job Group H and below. A private employer can use the editable structure in this guide without presenting it as a PSC form.

How often should staff appraisals be conducted?+

For a private employer, a practical approach is to set a review cycle in the performance policy and include check-ins before the final evaluation. This is a recommended workflow, not a statutory private-sector timetable. For public bodies covered by the Performance Management Regulations, the defined performance period runs from the first to the last day of the financial year.

Must an employee agree with or sign the appraisal?+

Design the signature field as acknowledgement that the appraisal was discussed and received, not compulsory agreement with the rating. Give the employee space to explain disagreement and attach evidence. If the employee declines to sign, record that fact and their stated reason rather than treating the refusal as agreement.

Can an employer dismiss an employee after a poor appraisal?+

A poor appraisal does not replace the Employment Act's termination safeguards. Where termination for poor performance is contemplated, section 41 requires explanation of the reason, the opportunity for accompaniment by another employee or shop-floor union representative, and consideration of representations. Sections 43 and 45 also require the employer to prove the reason and establish a valid, fair reason and fair procedure.

How long should an employer retain appraisal records?+

The Data Protection Act addresses retention limits, and the General Regulations require retention only as long as reasonably necessary for the lawful purpose. Document a retention period linked to the record's purpose rather than keeping every appraisal indefinitely. Restrict access and provide for secure disposal when retention is no longer justified.