The government has come up with a formula it is banking on to uproot the runway non-performance and malpractice in the public service. It should be rolled out within 21 days, head of public service Felix Koskei has instructed ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
Called the ‘Matrix of Legal Consequences for Infractions’, the tool was agreed at a July 30 meeting of principal secretaries (PSs), heads of legal, HR, procurement, audit and members of Standing Committees.
Repeated failure to meet performance targets will now lead to sanctions against public servants, Koskei directed at the Wednesday virtual meeting.
The session agreed the matrix that is a structured framework to guide consistent and lawful responses to below-par performance and misconduct. This covers briefing officers, getting acknowledgments, and submitting compliance reports.
“Disregard of lawful instructions will attract formal reprimand or corrective action. Repeated failure to meet performance targets will trigger structured interventions or sanctions, as appropriate,” Koskei told the meeting.
In a July 24 memo to top government officials, Koskei warned that non-performance, malpractice, and impunity had engulfed public service. He accused top officials of leaving corrective measures and resolutions to gather dust, leading to a “culture of abject impunity” and recurring malpractice.
Koskei noted that many officials, including PSs and other senior civil servants were not taking action to improve service delivery or punish sloppiness. This laissez faire has ruined public trust and resulted in unsightly losses and wastage of public wealth, he warned.
“The public is losing confidence in institutions due to widespread impunity and the misuse of funds,” he said, pointing out the delivery of substandard goods and services outside the timelines.
The July 30 meeting came a month after President William Ruto held a similar high-level gathering with Cabinet Secretaries, signalling growing concern in the Kenya Kwanza administration over underperformance.
In August 2023, President Ruto publicly warned Cabinet Secretaries that their days in office were numbered if they failed to demonstrate expertise and leadership.
“The moment I know more than you in your ministry, then you must begin to understand that something is very wrong,” the President said. “You are supposed to advise me—how will you do that if you have less information than I do?”
Koskei emphasised that public service “must be re-imagined to improve delivery through the right attitude and prompt corrective action, anchored in lawful and consistent accountability for failure”.
