Country needs to focus on Vision 2063 - Musalia Mudavadi

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says the country is seven years short of the expiry of Kenya Vision 2030 and a conversation around Kenya Vision 2063 when the country turns 100 is supposed to be in place.

Mudavadi said that the performance of the Public Service must then be integral in driving the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda as an offshoot in realizing the Kenya Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Kenya into a globally competitive and prosperous country.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary said that upon implementation of Performance Contracts in the Public Service in 2004 economic growth rose to a record 7.1 per cent in 2007 from 0.6 per cent in 2002 with this being evidence that a robust performance management system results in efficiency and productivity in the Public Service, leading to economic growth.

"Adoption of Performance Contracts ought to establish uniformity, consistency and objectivity in measuring public service performance, its implementation must henceforth fast-track the linkage between planning and budgeting phases, to clear outputs and outcomes," said Mudavadi.

Mudavadi directed Performance Contracts for Cabinet Secretaries to be aligned to key government priorities as contained in Programme Based Budget cascaded downwards to ensure all public servants are working towards the common good of the country.

He said in 2007, Kenya won the coveted United Nations Public Service Award for Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Service Delivery while in June 2021, the country won the 2nd runners-up award for Best Innovation in Citizen-Centered Service Delivery at the 8th All Africa Public Service Day held in Zimbabwe.

Mudavadi said that as a result of this achievement African countries such as Botswana, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Lesotho have domesticated the Kenyan model of Performance Contracting in the management of their Public Service with performance management the world over evolving with the same re-engineering taking place in Kenya.

"I am informed that in 2020, the Public Service Performance Management Unit commenced automation of the Performance contracting processes that were previously carried out manually, this is being done through a fully home-grown online Government Performance Contracting Information System," said Mudavadi.

He said that the ultimate goal of the Government Performance Contracting Information System is a fully automated end-to-end system where all relevant Performance Contracting processes are carried out online and It is worth pointing out that it ensured continuity of service delivery during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary said that the Kenya Integrated Performance Management Policy was developed in 2022 with the policy providing for the principles, strategies and broad guidelines for Performance Management in the National and County Governments, Constitutional Commissions and Independent offices, while taking cognizance of their autonomy.

Mudavadi said that his office is in the process of developing a Public Service Performance Management Bill, which will be the overarching law to fully anchor the Performance Management function in the entire public service institutions at both levels of Government

"It will result in value-for-money from public investments through adoption, streamlining and unifying norms of whole-of-government approach and provide a framework for rewarding performance and sanctioning non-performance," said Mudavadi.

He said that one of the internationally accepted Performance Management Principles is accountability and transparency of a Government Performance Management System, which means providing factual feedback about the performance of the government.

Mudavadi said the annual performance evaluation and release of the report Financial year 2021/2022 marks a momentous occasion since it provides the baseline for performance commitments in the next financial year, and also some reflection.

He said that the Public Service Commission 2021/2022 Annual Report indicts Ministries, Departments and Agencies for incurring colossal financial penalties through Court awards because of failure to honour contractual obligations with most losses occasioned when state entities enter into contracts without adequate budgeted and approved funding.

"Do frequent breaches of contracts arise out of inept due diligence or sheer negligence, do staff in procuring entities understand procurement laws and that it is their responsibility to ensure contractors fulfil their obligations and that government receives the goods and services it paid for or should we conclude they know the rules, but choose to ignore them for a benefit? wondered Mudavadi.

He said that compliance with the law is therefore not optional with section 79 of the Act making it mandatory for public officers to comply with laws regulating public procurement and that the government cannot condone laxity, wastage and losses anymore.

Mudavadi said it was time to strictly apply the penalties accruing from Section 72 accounting officers failing to manage public assets to achieve value-for-money will henceforth be penalised with the same application of Section 74(4) where public officers who breach accounting responsibility by making or permitting expenditure that is unlawful being surcharged.

He said that in order to fulfil the commitments made to citizens it was paramount that the whole public service honestly puts to practice the tried and time-tested results-based performance management tool with his office ensuring compliance with the annual performance contracting cycle and timelines.