NAIROBI, KENYA: As the Cabinet Secretaries take office after their being approved by Parliament, it would be important for them to be reminded that Kenya is at a turning point in public service and that in rewriting the Constitution, the public sought an efficient civil service.
At the height of the decadence of leadership in public service, Cabinet ministers — who were appointed from Parliament — were treated as small gods and they, having the ear of the president and enjoying the trappings of power were an institution unto themselves. They hired relatives and used State jobs and contract to reward political cronies; defied accounting officers; grabbed public property under their stewardship; issued executive fiat that were not grounded in law; and generally made decisions and engaged in actions that bred impunity, stifled innovation and promoted inefficiency.
Little wonder then that public service became a burden to the public. Wastage and inefficiency in government took monumental dimensions and service to the public was almost nil. Taxpayers had to give bribes to get service.
It is this apathy in civil service that led to the agitation by the public to divorce public service from politicians in the quest for a new Constitution.
By requiring that the President appoint Cabinet secretaries from outside Parliament, the constitution envisaged a situation where the president, having the good of the country at heart, would pick men and women of integrity with the skills and mettle to provide leadership in giving the Kenyan taxpayer the best possible service.
President Uhuru has assembled formidable cabinet and most of the men and women on it have impressive CVs with vast experience in the private sector.
Their jobs are well cut out. They need to hit the ground running because taxpayers are eager to start getting services that they are entitled to in an efficient and timely manner. Previously, political interference was a common feature that affected inefficiency. The Cabinet secretaries need political goodwill for them to succeed in executing the mandate the President has bestowed on them.
