Felix Koskei Reveals What Govt Must Do to Improve Service Delivery
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Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has called on ministries and state departments to strengthen their engagement with Kenyans to ensure government programmes and services respond to citizens’ needs.
Speaking on Friday after meeting members of the Jamii Imara Mashinani (JIM) initiative, Koskei said public institutions must work in a coordinated manner because decisions made by one department can have a direct impact on another.
He said stronger coordination would help government agencies remain focused on a common direction as they work towards delivering services and implementing development programmes.
“Government systems operate differently from the private sector. There are so many players in the public sector that determine what outcome a particular state department is expected to produce, or what needs to be done by one state department that will impact on a different state department,” Koskei said.
JIM brings together Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, board chairpersons and directors from different government agencies. Members marked one year of the initiative after conducting engagements in 13 counties, with about 24 activities focused largely on taking government services closer to citizens.
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JIM Reviews Government Delivery
Koskei said Friday’s meeting provided an opportunity for public servants from different sectors to assess progress in implementing government programmes and use feedback from their institutions to identify areas requiring attention.
“I have come here to join a team of professionals and public servants who have convened a meeting in order to do what we always call monitoring and evaluation, to bring feedback from their respective institutions on how far the government implementation plan has gone,” he said.
Representatives from sectors including health, agriculture and water were among those involved in the review, with Koskei saying discussions focused not only on whether projects had been implemented but also on their quality and the level of satisfaction among citizens.
Government departments, he added, must understand how their work connects with other institutions if the administration is to deliver its programmes effectively.
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Focus on Bottom-Up Plan
Koskei said coordination remains central to the government’s efforts to deliver on its development agenda, pointing to the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Plan as the framework guiding implementation.
“Managing for this government is to offer services, to provide services, to develop the country, to turn around what may not have worked well to the better. And therefore we are very clear on what we are doing, since we have a plan,” he said.
Beyond service delivery, Koskei said Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and heads of government agencies would play a key role in opening wider conversations with Kenyans about the country’s long-term direction.
He said the planned Beyond 2030 campaign would provide an opportunity for broader engagement on what Kenya’s future should look like and the priorities that should shape the years ahead, also addressing a recently issued government communication circular, saying its purpose was to streamline communication across government and ensure official messaging reaches its intended audience.
JIM leaders urged Kenyans to familiarise themselves with government services and programmes, saying greater awareness would help citizens take advantage of opportunities and services available to them.
Public Health PS Mary Muthoni, Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) chairperson Winnie Ngumi and KEPHIS director Njiru were among officials present during the engagement.
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Felix Koskei joins Lugulu residents in switching on a REREC project connecting 201 customers to electricity.PHOTO/X.