The Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service, Felix Koskei has said that Kenya and Uganda will continue working together to promote development in the two countries for the benefit of their citizenry.
Koskei said Kenya is happy with the good relations existing between the two countries and will encourage exchange programmes so that they can learn from each other on new areas and innovations deployed in both nations so that nobody is left behind in all areas of development.
The Chief of Staff was speaking today at his Harambee House office when he received the Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet of the Republic of Uganda Ms. Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye who had led a delegation to benchmark on various areas of management in the public service.
The areas of interest include management control and implementation of cabinet decisions, the responsibilities of Public Service Commission in public service and how performance management contract is undertaken in Kenya’s public service.
“Public Service offices in Kenya and Uganda handle almost the same issues, a need that requires the mainstreaming of emerging issues for effective service delivery,” said Koskei.
The Head of Public Service said the Kenya government instituted performance contract, an agreement between supervisors and their subordinates for coherence in government with an objective that all employees meet their set targets, as well as to ensure that resources are budgeted for effectively while at the same time ensuring that mitigating measures are employed for effective service delivery.
He singled out technical cooperation, business, education, various areas of administration, production, manufacturing, establishment of economic zones in the rural areas, tourism and climate change as some of the areas both countries can learn from each other and share experiences.
“You are free to engage with any government office that you desire to visit and share. We will ensure that whatever information, guidance and document needed is provided,” said Koskei.
He further noted that effective and efficient service delivery in public service will be of great benefit to the citizens of the two countries besides bringing more understanding now that there is free movement.
On her part, the Uganda Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Ms. Mbonye disclosed that she decided to visit Kenya on a benchmarking mission after listening to a presentation from Kenya on Performance Contract in the public service at a Commonwealth meeting.
Ms. Mbonye said her country will borrow a leaf on various issues they are learning from Kenya’s Public Service sector for effective service delivery.
“We will borrow the performance contract for effective service delivery and also have standing committees as we have seen it makes work easy and makes the cabinet make decisions faster,” she added.
Ms. Mbonye said Uganda and Kenya as sister countries have almost the same resources hence would not want to lag behind in development, adding that the two countries will continue with the collaborative trend that has existed for years.
“Where we get stuck, we will call so that we are on the same footing with Kenya,” she added.
By Bernadette Khaduli
