Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi has said it is time to act decisively to end rampant corruption in the public service, affirming that the Executive is ready to do its part.

Mudavadi called for the need to identify the missing links in bringing culprits to account, saying that the criminal justice system must also save the country from this persistent agony.

“The public is tired of our persistent appeals, pleas, remonstrations and threats against corruption. It is time to act and act decisively to end this scourge, especially the temptations in the public service. We must require all agencies in the criminal justice system to save us the agony. They must do Kenyans justice. And this is not weaponizing state agencies against anyone. All we are asking them to do is work without doubt, fear or favour,” Mudavadi said.

“Kenya’s overall development agenda as espoused in the Kenya Vision 2030 is dependent on a Public Service that is citizen-focused, results-oriented, efficient, motivated; and foremost, corruption-free.” he pointed out.

He was speaking at State House on Tuesday during the signing of the performance contracting for Ministries for Financial Year 2023/24 presided over by President William Ruto.

Mudavadi said the performance contracts signed are the first, under President William Ruto’s administration, with budgets aligned to specific programmes and projects under the Medium-Term Plan (IV) and anchored on the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA) sector priorities.

This he says ensures synergy between budgetary resources and specific targeted deliveries. The contracts provide linkages between planning, budgeting and clear deliverables as expected under every Ministry, State Department or Agency.

“Sustained implementation of performance contracts should enable public institutions re-focus on improving institutional governance and efficient use of public resources, leading to effective service delivery as demanded by the Constitution.” affirmed Mudavadi.

“Executive Order No. 1 of 2023, entrusts my Office with co-ordination of performance management in the Public Service. Since then, I have made several promissory pronouncements regarding the public service we envision for Kenya,” he added.

He said his office has initiated development of a Public Service Performance Management Bill, which seeks to streamline and standardize performance management in the public sector.

It is expected to provide a framework for rewarding meritocracy and performance, while fawning on ineptitude and discouraging non-performance.

“This is the first time public service performance management will be anchored in law. The introduction of Performance Contracts in the Public Service gives credence to adage that, “What Gets Measured Gets Done”. he said.

According to him, the performance contracting process has been automated through the development and rolling out of the Government Performance Contracting Information System (GPCIS), which has made the process fully web-based thus minimizing the need for lengthy inter-personal interventions, and consequently saving valuable management time.

He said the optimal deployment of the human resource in the public service will gain immensely from this Bill as it intends to give legal backing to officers who toil without reward or promotion.

“Even as we demand optimal output from our public service, we must urgently cure lack of career progression and almost life-long acting in positions. It is evident that acting in a position for long durations demotivates public service officers,” he said.

In tandem with performance management, he said public sector reforms are vital to a government that is responsive, efficient and citizen centric.

He said these reforms aim to transform public institutions, streamline processes, eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and enhance governance and service delivery.

“It is clear in my mind that by undertaking these reforms, we are creating an enabling environment that fosters economic growth, attracts investments and improves the quality of life for all Kenyans,” he noted.

To effectively implement performance management, productivity mainstreaming and public sector reforms, he called for the need to adopt a multi-faceted approach.

Embracing a culture of continuous learning, professionalism and perfection, will enhance effectiveness and efficiency in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

For this reason, he said the Government will ensure regular monitoring, evaluation and reporting of progress to assist in identifying areas in need of improvement and take corrective actions.

“Transformation of performance management will create efficiency through investment in state-of-the-art technologies, providing training and capacity-building opportunities. It will augment a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing, and shear off the existing silo mentality. By harnessing the power of digital transformation, we can automate processes, reduce redundancies and maximize productivity,” he added.

The performance contracts signed have been deliberately designed to incorporate priority programmes and projects contained in the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP IV) 2023-2027 and national development priorities in the five BeTA sectors to be implemented by MDAs during this financial year.

The remaining performance contracts will be finalized, signed and cascaded to other levels to facilitate timely implementation of commitments captured in the contracts for this financial year.