Public service sector reforms applauded

Officials from Lesotho are in the county on a five-day study tour on service delivery in the public sector.

The top government officials were yesterday hosted by the Ministry of Devolution and were taken through initiatives employed by the ministry towards streamlining of the country's public service sector.

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru said the visit is a show of confidence in the county's public service management and a recognition of the transformational leadership.

"It is a testimony that our public service is coming of age. It is also important to recognise that, all this would not be possible without a committed and motivated workforce with the right skills, attitudes and competencies," said Ms Waiguru.

The Lesotho delegation led by the Public Service Minister Motloheloa Phooko is keen on the country's performance contracting system and its impact on management of public service.

Waiguru said the delegation will also look at the reforms in the public service and the use of information and communications technology in the management of its own.

The delegates will also visit the National Youth Service, Machakos and Kajiado Huduma Centres, the Kenya School of Government, Public Service Commission and Kenyatta University among other institutions.

The Government, through the Ministry of Devolution, has made several transformational changes including restructuring and reforming the public service to reduce the spiraling wage bill.

Waiguru, however, noted that devolution has made it difficult to align Government structures and processes to core mandates so as to ensure a responsive public service.

Dr Phooko said his country is keen on learning and applying practices in Kenya that have improved the public sector.

"We have compared this with the developments in our country and realised that we are lagging behind quite substantially in the sector. We are interested in developing an effective and efficient sector," said Phooko.