The Government is committed towards creating a visible transformation in the operations and workings of the National Government Administration Officials (NGAOs) across the country, Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo says.
In pursuit of this commitment, PS Omollo says, the national government has embarked on a journey to equip administrators with the tools and expertise they need, to succeed in the execution of their mandate.
According to the PS, the government has initiated a re-training program for NGAOs with the goal of further strengthening their capacity to provide effective, efficient and responsive services to Wananchi.
“We have to ensure that every interaction our NGAO officers have with mwananchi is marked by timeliness, credible information and a genuine understanding to the needs and concerns of respective jurisdiction,” PS Omollo said Wednesday, while presiding over the opening ceremony of the re-orientation training forum for Regional and County Commissioners at the Kenya School of Government in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.
The PS said that the training is closely aligned with the Government’s recent organizational restructuring and shift in its approach to governance. As the government is progressively accelerating the implementation of its visionary blueprint on socio-economic empowerment and inclusive prosperity under the Bottom- Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), PS Omollo stressed urgent need for the NGAOs to understand the Plan and its impacts.
Further, the Internal Security PS emphasized the Government’s commitment to raising the bar in Performance and Delivery Management. “There is need to enhance multi-sectoral coordination in planning, monitoring and delivery of Government programmes and projects,” he said.
Peace, security and climate change
To effectively address peace, security and climate change, the PS highlighted the need to improve the Inter-governmental relations and stakeholder engagements at the devolved units.
He challenged government officials at the grassroots level to take the lead in conducting regular public participation for National Government projects and programs to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We have an obligation to the people. It must not be lost to us that it is the public that funds public services and, therefore, a justifiable expectation on quality and timely services as well as information,” he said.
The PS called upon the senior administrators to cascade the lessons learnt and experiences shared in the training to all the NGAO cadres, for purposes of creating synergy, unity of purpose and to enhance service delivery to the citizenry.
He further called on government officials to fully adhere to the country’s legal and regulatory frameworks on governance, financial management, and reporting. Being the government’s first point of contact with the grassroots, PS Omollo noted that NGAOs play a pivotal role in transforming and maximizing the impact of its targeted investments.
“You are therefore called upon to provide the requisite leadership during the roll-out of the reorientation programme.”
The PS reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption within the public service. He warned that the vice will not be tolerated maintaining that their jobs are pegged on the fidelity of being incorruptible. “Take note that corruption is not a choice for public officers,” the PS warned.