The National Government has revitalised the Government Delivery Service (GDS) unit to fastrack speedy completion of National Government Projects, programs and policies that are of great benefit to the citizens.
Western Regional Commissioner Mr. Samson Macharia when chairing the inaugural meeting of the National Government Development Regional Implementation Coordination and Management Committee (NGD-RICMC) in Kakamega said the committee brings together all the regional heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The RC said several Development meetings and Project Verification exercises will follow in due course across the Western region, adding that County Implementation Coordination and Management Committees will also be inaugurated as a result.
“All heads of Government Ministries and Departments must prepare reports of the projects, programmes and policies they are implementing since the committee will be periodically visiting a number of the projects to assess the progress,” he directed.
“We shall determine which projects to visit, monitor and evaluate and resolve some of the challenges that they are facing and escalate to the Principal Secretaries (PSs) committee to fastrack completion in the event of bottlenecks,” he added.
“The committee is chaired by the Regional Commissioner and membership is composed of all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) at the regional level with the Regional Director Government Delivery Services (GDS) heading the Secretariat,” he said.
During the meeting, members were taken through various legal instruments including guidelines on the framework for Coordination of National Government Policies, Programmes and Projects, Executive Order No 1 of 2023 and National Government Coordination Act 2013.
The Western Regional Head of Secretariat Mr. Silvance Osele said the whole Government Approach to Project implementation will help enhance efficiency by reducing bureaucracy and ensuring timely implementation, which in effect saves on public resources.
Osele said that problem-solving of bottlenecks affecting projects is a key mandate of the Committee. “Its mandate has also been expanded to go beyond national government flagship projects ranging from roads, water, education, climate and tree planting campaigns among others,” Osele said.
Operations of the GDS unit (initially known as Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) is domiciled at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Mr. Musalia Mudavadi and seeks to help in the realisation of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Also in attendance were GDS Secretariat members Sitati Orlando, Melchizedek Onguso, Derrick Angehi and the Western Kenya Region Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Manager Ms. Christine Natome among others.
By George Kaiga
