CSs, PSs set to sign performance contracts in accountability push

 

Cabinet and Principal Secretaries will sign performance contracts next Tuesday, as President William Ruto seeks to keep them on their toes and stem mounting public discontent.

The signing, planned for the State House, Nairobi and overseen by the president, will be the culmination of a month-long performance validation exercise. During this exercise, ministries set goals for the current financial year, which ends next June.

In a letter to CSs, PSs, the Attorney General, and chairpersons and chief executives of State corporations, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said the performance contracts are aimed at “enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery.”

“The Attorney General, all Cabinet Secretaries and all Principal Secretaries must be physically present at the signing ceremony. Performance contracting is a management tool that facilitates timely implementation of priority commitments for public institutions while enhancing linkages between planning, budgeting and execution of their mandate,” said Koskei.

In the wake of a youth-led uprising that saw Ruto sack all but two members of his Cabinet (Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau), the Head of State set lofty goals for his ministers.

Wanjau and Deputy Chief of Staff, Performance and Delivery, Eliud Owalo, have led the exercise that saw ministries validate their commitments, which have been incorporated into the contracts.

“The Performance Contracts for FY 2024/2025 have incorporated commitments to deliver Kenya Kwanza administration’s development agenda - Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (2022-2027), which seeks to improve livelihoods and welfare of Kenyans,” Koskei added.

Attorney General Dorcas Oduor was the latest to issue her commitments, pledging to strengthen the provision of legal services in several ways. She said she would reduce the government’s legal and financial exposure, which has perennially placed her office in the spotlight.

Court cases

Oduor also plans to reduce court awards against the State by 10 per cent and enhance the resolution of court cases against the government.

Other commitments include finalising files for minors’ trusts and deceased estates, hastening the issuance of certificates for Christian marriages and enhancing the resolution of complaints against advocates.

All other ministries made similar pledges when they validated their key performance indicators. Agriculture CS Andrew Karanja promised to enhance various sectors, including tea and milk and pledged to oversee the distribution of 12.5 million bags of fertiliser by next year, among other commitments.

On her part, Lands, Public Works and Urban Development CS Alice Wahome said her ministry would construct more than 65,000 affordable housing and over 50,000 social units in the next year in implementing Ruto’s Affordable Housing plan.

Cooperatives and MSMEs CS Wycliffe Oparanya committed to enhancing access to quality and affordable financing for MSMEs, under Kenya Kwanza’s flagship Hustler Fund programme.

Investments, Trade and Industry CS Salim Mvurya made nine key commitments, chief among them being to coordinate the implementation of the Buy Kenya-Build Kenya initiative, which would be enabled by a cotton, textile and apparel policy. 

Mudavadi said his Foreign Affairs Ministry would strengthen Kenya’s economic diplomacy “by promoting Kenya’s interests globally, expanding market access and positioning Kenya as a hub for international conferences”.

The Interior Ministry, formerly headed by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, promised to reduce the issuance of passports to seven days within the next 12 months as a means of enhancing immigration services.

Similarly, the ministry undertook to implement reforms in the National Police Service, the Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service.

Water, Sanitation and Irrigation CS Eric Mugaa committed to expanding Kenya’s irrigation coverage by an additional 40,000 acres within one year, and connecting 2.5 million Kenyans to clean and safe water.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi pledged to deploy technology in his grand plan to manage the government’s human resources by June next year, weeding out ghost workers.