Cabinet secretaries haven’t done enough to implement Jubilee government’s agenda

In uncharacteristic approach as he initiated yet another slum upgrading project in Mkuru Kwa Njenga, Korogocho and Mathare; President Uhuru Kenyatta challenged cabinet secretaries in his government to go to the grassroots and “come face to face with the challenges facing average Kenyans.”

The president was spot on considering that his cabinet secretaries took oath of office against the backdrop of enormous challenges facing Kenyans such as insecurity, stressed tourism industry, skyrocketing poverty and challenges of urbanization.

Further challenges that Jubilee administration promised to address includes unemployment, struggling agricultural sector, corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, implementation of austerity measures to curb wasteful expenditure, crisis in education sector and economic recovery.

In fact, when president Uhuru appointed these cabinet secretaries, he banked on them to formulate sound policies within their respective ministries, design short and long term goals, communicate and initiate implementation processes that would transform the lives of Kenyans and spruce-up Jubilee administration's public image in readiness for the next general election.

Two years down the line, there isn't much achievement to write home about. Very little has been achieved. By and large, the status-quo remains. In some ministries like interior, agriculture, education, environment, health and land, things have either plateaued or are spiraling from good to worse.

Yet, as he searched for potential candidates for cabinet secretary positions, president Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto considered professionalism, academic credentials and prerequisite experiences before appointment. Most Kenyans and even the international pundits acknowledged that most of these cabinet secretaries were among the most qualified in the whole world.

Sadly, their qualifications haven’t matched their performances. On an average, their performance is substandard with grade C-. Truth be told, the president cannot be omnipresent in every ministry to ensure efficiency. It is the responsibility of every cabinet secretary to fulfill the mandate of his or her office on behalf of the president.

Unfortunately, most of these cabinet secretaries are stuck in boardrooms of their expansive offices in Nairobi. They're detached from grass-root reality that is critical to conceptualization and drafting of critical policies. They only see on TV and read in papers about the suffering of Kenyans. Instead of promoting efficiency and offering professional advice, some of these cabinet secretaries have morphed into sycophants to massage president Uhuru's ego.

Perhaps coming elections will be a wakeup call for Jubilee administration. However to elevate the image of Jubilee government, president Uhuru Kenyatta should crack the whip on his cabinet secretaries and demand highest level of professionalism and performance of core responsibilities and achievement of promises that were made to citizens.
 

To achieve that, Mr Kenyatta should set realistic and measurable expectations that must be met by every cabinet secretary within a specific time frame. Furthermore, consequences should be imposed on non-performing CS who will fail to achieve what is expected of him or her. After all, when cabinet secretaries achieve tremendous results, the image of the Jubilee government will be honored by citizens who are direct beneficiaries of a functioning government.