KISUMU, KENYA – The Kenyan government has initiated a comprehensive nationwide program aimed at boosting productivity within the public sector. This move is designed to enhance service delivery and address the issue of the growing wage bill.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Idris Dokota, the initiative encompasses all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and is focused on matching public spending with the quality of service and output. Dr. Dokota underscored the importance of this initiative during a training session held at Kisumu National Polytechnic, which he attended alongside Kisumu County Commissioner, Hussein Alassow Hussein.
Dr. Dokota pointed out the critical challenge posed by the expanding wage bill, which currently accounts for 46% of the country’s ordinary revenue, significantly higher than the recommended 35%. He emphasized that this expenditure, which primarily covers the salaries and wages of approximately 963,200 public servants, is unsustainable and places undue pressure on government finances.
The program, as described by Dr. Dokota, focuses on improving operational and labor efficiency and increasing customer satisfaction. It is part of a broader set of reforms in the public sector, and all government ministries, departments, and agencies are now mandated to incorporate productivity metrics into their performance contracts.
The initiative is a collaboration between the State Department for Cabinet Affairs, the National Productivity and Competitive Centre, the Ministry of Public Service’s Performance and Delivery Management, and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). Their collective efforts are aimed at sensitizing public officers on the importance of mainstreaming productivity and designing strategies to improve it.
During his address at the Kisumu National Polytechnic, Dr. Dokota highlighted the necessity of results-based management (RBM) in the public sector as a means to achieve the government’s development goals. He cited the success stories of countries like Egypt and South Africa, which have made significant progress by incorporating RBM, suggesting that Kenya is following a similar, positive trajectory.