Launch remarks · 31 March 2023
I am delighted to be with you today at this momentous milestone in the life and career of many youthful emerging public servants and public service leaders.
The State is constituted and sustained by the functioning of an effective Public Service. Government, similarly, expresses itself through the operations of the Public Service. The Country is served through the administrative departments of the Public Service, while the economy is coordinated by the regulatory agencies of the Public Service.
The Public Service is, therefore, a fundamental constitutional component through which an effective State can achieve and maintain a stable society and efficient economy. In short, it is indispensable to a properly functioning republic such as ours.
Government relies on the Public Service to satisfy citizens’ aspirations by implementing policy, projects and programmes according to the mandate conferred on it through democratically elected leadership.
The prospects of sustainable development for any society is, therefore, directly linked to the soundness of its Public Service. By soundness, I mean a public service that is firmly apolitical, impersonal, scrupulous, impartial, fair, consistent, predictable and coherent. A sound public service must be absolutely loyal and subordinate to the elected leadership.
The standard for soundness of the Public Service is set out in Articles 232 (1) and 10 of the Constitution, which bind anybody acting in the name of the Constitution.
The government is committed to delivering its pledges to the people of Kenya as set out in the Plan for the Bottom-Up Economic Transformational Agenda of Kenya. It has, therefore, embarked on formulating appropriate policy and strategic frameworks that will anchor implementation of our food security and agroindustrial production, affordable housing, universal health coverage, micro, small and medium enterprises as well as the digital economy agendas.
To deliver, a responsive, responsible and accountable public service is imperative. I am encouraged that our Public Service has maintained its political neutrality and impartiality for the greater part of our independent history and, especially, since the advent of competitive democracy.
In the world of globalisation, digital governance, online enterprise, a fit-for-purpose Public Service is going to look and act different. This inevitable and undeniable fact calls on us to quickly undertake changes that will enable the Public Service to adapt effectively and deliver to the highest standard even in changing times.
I am confident that our Public Service is perfectly capable of this historic feat and that, as a result, our nation will never have to suffer the disruptions and distortions of teething problems and difficult transitions.
We are serving the public at a time of daunting challenge. We are tasked with sparking accelerating economic recovery, ensuring equitable access to opportunity and wealth creation and leading our collective adaptation to a ferocious climate. We are counting on you to help us deliver the transformation required to overcome these challenges. If we are to deliver on the transformational agenda, we must begin by transforming our Public Service to make it more responsive to the needs of the citizens.
To place us firmly on this path, the Government will adequately facilitate the Public Service Commission (PSC) to put in place a “fit-for-purpose Public Service”. We, envisage and expect a service that exhibits high levels of productivity, good governance, patriotism, commitment, diligence, honesty and excellent performance. Performance management and productivity
Our strategy to transform the Public Service is centred on performance management and productivity. The ultimate measure of performance in the Public Service is citizen satisfaction. Accordingly, the Government will introduce a robust and integrated performance management architecture. It will provide standardised tools for measuring service delivery across the Public Service, including State corporations and public universities. This will cut across both levels of Government.
A review of the performance management framework in the Public Service has revealed a number of constraints: Misaligned institutional arrangements, inadequate policy, and legislative and technical capacity limitations.
Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated effort through a Whole-of-Government Approach. Subsequently, the Prime Cabinet Secretary will work closely with the PSC to bring together key agencies in Government with a view to revamping, re-institutionalising and driving a citizen-centric performance management system.
The new strategy will seek to entrench a renewed Public Service performance culture. It will also seek to promote innovation and, crucially, secure the services of the best minds of our country by rewarding public servants who serve with distinction. We will also revitalise the Public Service Week and the Public Service Excellence Award, among other initiatives. Public Service Emerging Leaders Fellowship (PSELF) and Public Service Internship Programme (PSIP)
Allow me to turn to my favourite part of the audience - the young people gathered here today. We have two groups: The 3,902 interns joining the Public Service as the Fifth Cohort the Public Service Internship Programme (PSIP) and the First Cohort of the Public Service Emerging Leaders Fellowship (PSELF). These two programmes are undeniable success stories and underscore the Government’s commitment to strengthening and nurturing strong leadership within the Public Service.
I am pleased to witness the enthusiasm of our young people working in the Public Service. I welcome you and ask you to bring your energy, resilience and innovative ideas to the Public Service. You are the now and the future of our country. If you do your best, I am confident that our Public Service will be in good hands today and in the future.
I must say this: Do not join the Public Service and hold back or shy off from contributing your ideas. You join the Public Service to add value, to bring something new to the table. We expect ideas, we expect excellence and we expect innovation and creativity.
I want to congratulate the 51 Fellows in the Emerging Leaders Fellowship Programme. I understand you are now at the tail end of your training, which focused on public leadership, development and inculcation of public service ethos.
I am confident that you have adequately benefitted from the many professional development opportunities that the programme has afforded you. I want to reiterate what I am sure you are aware of: We have high expectations from you; we expect you to take up and deliver exceptional results in leadership capacities across the Public Service. We expect this because we are confident you now understand the immense value of good leadership and strong values to any organisation and to society.
When you return to your various departments, share the knowledge you have acquired with your colleagues and mentor others to be like you or even better.
I challenge you to set a new leadership example and standard in government. I urge you to be agents of real change and, above all, to keep the fire of service burning within. There is no better place to practise your leadership skills than the Public Service.
As the Commission begins the recruitment of the next cohort of Fellows, I reiterate my personal support to this initiative. Let us build more leaders; let us have a Public Service full of leaders and we shall see an incredible difference.
I wish to extend my gratitude to our partners, Emerging Public Leaders of the United States and our very own Emerging Leaders Foundation, for their financial support that enabled us to run this programme. Going forward, the government will allocate resources to scale up the programme to accommodate more young public servants.
I am delighted to commission the graduate interns joining the Public Service under the internship programme. All of you here today were professionally recruited by the PSC from among 31,000 applicants. Congratulations. This means all of you are special, all of you have something that can help us move this country forward.
I commend the Commission for ensuring that the interns reflect the face of Kenya by distributing the available slots to all the 290 constituencies, ensuring that persons living with disabilities and all genders are adequately represented. The government will serve all Kenyans equally and will give all an equal chance to serve.
Now in its fifth cycle, the internship programme has benefitted more than 16,500 young graduates and continues to grow in popularity and reach. The programme has injected vigour and energy into the Public Service through the creativity and ingenuity of youthful graduate interns. The length and breadth of Kenya has felt the impact of this programme.
The Public Service needs you all and we hope, after your internship, you will be interested in a career in the Public Service.
At the individual level, the internship programme gives you an opportunity to gain work experience, develop interpersonal skills, build self-confidence and enhance your chances of employment.
It is encouraging to note that over 10 per cent of the interns who have previously been on the programme have progressed to full time employment in Public Service institutions.
Owing to its success, the Government will continue to support the growth of the programme through enhanced funding to cater for recruitment of at least 10,000 interns every year.
Much as we would wish to absorb all of you after the internship, we acknowledge that the Government does not have enough openings for all. However, the Government will continue to implement policies that promote investment and job creation by the private sector. I am, therefore, pleased to note that the PSC has plans to develop a framework to partner with private sector organisations in this programme.
We will also anchor the programme in law to ensure its institutionalisation and sustainability by amending the Public Service Commission Act. Accordingly, the Attorney-General will liaise with the Commission and Parliament to expedite appropriate legislative amendments to the law.
Allow me to make a few remarks about the 2021/2022 Report on Status of Compliance with Values and Principles in Articles 10 and 232 of the Constitution that the Commission has presented to me this morning.
I note that the survey covered 477 public institutions out of 525, representing a response rate of 91 per cent. While this is an improvement from the previous year, anything short of 100 per cent response rate is unacceptable. Going forward, the Government will demand answers from public institutions that do not participate in the evaluation.
It is worth noting that the overall compliance level improved from the previous financial year indicating that public institutions have progressively aligned with the national values and principles of governance outlined under Article 10, and values and principles of public service under Article 232 of the Constitution.
I want to assure you that the Government will fully implement the recommendations of this report. We will ensure that the Public Service reflects the face of Kenya’s diverse communities and affords adequate and equal opportunities for appointment of women, men, members of all communities and persons with disabilities.
The recommendation to migrate public services to online platforms to enhance compliance with values and principles of governance is in perfect synchrony with our plan to digitise government services. So far, at least 4,200 government services have been digitised. We envisage completion of this exercise by June to allow Kenyans to access services without unnecessary bureaucracy.
The digital transformation era that we live in demands smart solutions. Now, more than ever, we need our smartest and most innovative men and women to drive public service, secure our country, grow our economy and promote social inclusion. The Government will, therefore, continue to invest in the development of skills to support transformation into a truly digital economy.
Finally, let me extend my gratitude to all public servants across the country for the work you continue to do. The government will progressively improve your terms and conditions of service.
It is now my pleasure to declare the Fifth Cohort of the Public Service Internship Programme and the 2021/2022 Report on Status of Compliance with Values and Principles in Articles 10 and 232 of the Constitution officially launched. Thank you and may God bless you all.