Systems, processes that work will ensure success

Kenya: Government is rolling out two strategies that deserve public support because they have the potential to greatly improve service delivery at the national and county levels.

First, President Uhuru Kenyatta is following up the naming of a Cabinet largely from the private sector and professional bodies by introducing a new method of assessing the performance of public servants. This includes the Cabinet Secretaries and principal accounting officers.

The new performance guidelines have a more efficient criteria for ensuring that various sectors identify their key result areas and performance targets and share them with the public for information and monitoring and in compliance with the Constitution.

In a further break with the past, this year’s guidelines on performance contracting contain a number of key changes that have been incorporated to improve the efficacy of the entire system.

For starters, ministries, departments and agencies are required to align their performance targets to the 2nd Medium Term Plan of Vision 2030 in order to harmonise the processes of planning, budgeting and target setting.

To be introduced under the Ministry of Devolution and Planning in September, the President expects the strategy will achieve the objectives outlined in the Jubilee Manifesto, the Medium-Term Plan and Vision 2030.

The performance review will be based on improved access to public services, improved access to information, ready availability of efficient quality services, improved working conditions and professionalism in service delivery.

Second, Deputy President William Ruto said last week “we are going to use a scientific mechanism to allocate funds where the Senate will unbundle and cost allocations for specific functions to counties next year.”

This means that money allocated to counties will be aligned to the cost of carrying out the functions that have been devolved to them and thus reducing the waste that is expected this year because of the duplication of roles between the national and county governments.

The unbundling and costing of functions also makes it easier for the Controller and Auditor General to monitor the use of public funds at the two levels of government.