Do we have members of Wazua working for the UN? How did you get your job? all the people I know have been applying and non has ever been called for an interview....

@Masukuma, agreed. I once was seconded there as a specialist and from what I discovered getting the P jobs takes more than just what you see on the advert- ni serious kujuana.

As for performance I did serious planning and documentation of implementation designs that they still use to this date (since 2009). Then there is the siasa bit at international level sema ukabila international.

I work with a UN agency and I concur with Masukuma. It is pretty difficult to ascend into the professional levels and even harder to join the UN at that level. You have to earn your stripes before you get a P contract.

I started out as an intern (the perfect place to start out). After my internship ended, I made about 12 unsuccessful applications. I finally got in as a junior national staff member before moving onto a G6 contract a year later. I worked for two years and left for my post-graduate studies.

I had established a good rapport with my supervisors and upon completion of my studies, I called them up. The recommended me for a position outside Kenya but within Africa. It was not as Professional staff but as a Consultant, I have been doing this for three years now. Like most UN staff members, I aim to hold a proper P contract sometime soon and I can see it coming. I have friends who have broken into the P ranks much faster.

A little help in the UN goes a long way and there is all the usual office politics (most countries have cartels and their people look out for each other). However, I still find it a pretty fair place to work and the working conditions are good. The sacrifices you have to make to hold a P contract are also huge. There are very few P contracts for Kenyans in Kenya, you have to leave your country to be professional. That means you are most likely to end up in a godforsaken location in a strange country where you might not even be allowed to take your family. The toll on family life in the UN is huge. You are likely to move from one duty station to another often and this can destabilise you and your family.

The link that Masukuma has given indicates what the UN pays and their salaries are not negotiable... and yes Masukuma, the average UN staffer has an immense sense of entitlement. And some can whine!

As for the kujuana, off course it will be there. How else would you recommend someone for a job unless you have worked with them?

@masukuma @fezzhappy,

i'm curious, this P level contract you guys talk about, what's their range? when in college, this was one of my dream places to work in..

what people don't understand about P positions are the perks around them. Post Adjustment allowances, Spouse and Children Allowances. School fees for the children (i think upto 6), in Kenya Duty free mafuta, No taxation (per say... kuna kitu inaitwa staff adjustment lakini), a portion of your house rent for a number of years e.t.c. Those are the things that make UN in third world countries a place to work as a P. I know many P's who have pigad kambi hapa and will never leave... those are just too good. For a Kenyan to be A P in Kenya its quite difficult kwanza considering that Kenya is not in the list of under represented countries. Maybe if you were an Uzbekistani or from Laos you would fare much better.