Give Cabinet secretaries enough space to work for good results

President William Ruto (centre) at State House, Nairobi, July 24, 2024. He is flanked by his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi. [PCS]

President William Ruto should take time to reflect on the challenge of governing the nation as he awaits Parliament to deliberate and approve his nominees to the Cabinet. 

Former US President Ronald Reagan once observed: “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.”

The assumption is that the men and women set to constitute the Cabinet are some of the best people from the pool. The second thing the President should do is to delegate power and authority to Cabinet secretaries (CSs). The greatest temptation that leaders face is micromanaging those under them. 

Great leaders are trusting. Great leaders build strong teams and, finally, great leaders listen. All these principles of leadership are gleanable from Moses’ Father-in-Law, Jethro.

According to Exodus 14 Jethro advised Moses against doing everything by himself. Said Jethro: “Select capable men from all the people - men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.”

As with Moses, the President should delegate, define the vision, and the long-range plans for his administration and let the CS execute them. Ordinarily, the CS briefs the President. The CS is in turn briefed by the Principal Secretary over issues of policy and administration. Micromanagement of an organisation stifles thinking and initiative. The civil service system has highly experienced administrators, professionals and technocrats. No one can beat or override the combined sets of skills— administrative and technical— that civil servants possess.

They know the issues, problems and challenges that require policy actions as a going concern and in the context of the vision of any administration. Translation of the agenda of the administration is not meant to discount or supplant the foundational policies of the government. All it does is to reform or strengthen it. The technocrats exist to appraise any incoming government where things are and are going. They advise the CS on policies, programmes, projects and initiatives in place and, on a priority basis, advise the government on what to be done to address outstanding issues, problems, and challenges of administration. It is the CS who should be asked questions in light of the overall vision of the government on what can be done to align the policy architecture to the agenda of the government.

Policymaking is not done through administrative fiat. It is the turn of the technocrats, with the leadership of the Principal Secretary to implement the programmes, projects and initiatives that have been sanctioned. Ministers in the former parliamentary system of government didn’t have advisors outside the command structure of the ministries.

It is the Presidential system of government, under the Uhuru administration, and now Ruto that introduced the advisors. This cadre of staff has created a parallel structure of government. It has countermanded and even completely distorted the policymaking and implementation process. Because they are confidants of the CS, they have sometimes assumed that they share the portfolio of the Principal Secretaries.

The President should be advised on whether CSs and his office should retain advisors. The President should also reset the whole government communication system. Administratively, the government has four tiered layers: national, regional, county and sub-county levels of government. The regional, county, and sub-county levels of government have senior staff with knowledge, skills, ability and experience to administer policy.

The CSs should give these officers the authority and latitude to implement policies, programmes and projects without undue control or supervision.

The fresh Cabinet should think about these and other issues of public administration. The public apathy and hostility we witnessed in the last two months shouldn’t have happened had the government been more focused on people’s aspirations and fears.

The citizens would like to see men and women in government who are mindful of
the basic purpose of the institution of government: to protect the lives, property and facilitate the advancement of the individual and collective aspirations of all people fairly and equitably.

-Mr Kwichichi is a communication expert