This archive report was first published on 26 July 2021.
Raila's Civil Service Reform Agenda ¶
On Sunday, Raila Odinga, the leader of the ODM party, outlined a raft of proposals to reform Kenya's civil service, building on his previous plans for industrialization and rural urbanization.
According to Raila, the civil service is the foundation of nation-building and national development, and as such, it should be defined by discipline, hard work, high morale, efficiency, and high ethical standards.
He noted that nations begin to fail when the civil service begins to fail, and that Kenya's civil service, while functional, has tremendous room for improvement.
Raila's proposals aim to address the issues of nepotism, tribalism, and favouritism in the civil service, which have demoralized many officers and led to a lack of accountability.
He proposed designing and adhering to a clear career progression path for civil servants, eliminating conflict of interest, promoting creativity, and enhancing the capacity of the civil service to engage in strategic thinking.
He also suggested creating linkages between the government and the private sector, particularly think tanks, to enable civil servants pursue routine work and engage in strategic thinking at the same time.
Additionally, Raila proposed maintaining an up-to-date database on solid professionals and experts on various issues and constantly tapping into them, as well as refresher courses for civil servants to help steer them away from what has worked in the past to what addresses current and anticipated challenges.
He emphasized the need to subject the civil service to rigorous performance measurements and public perception tests, with consequences for those who fail, in order to attract and retain men and women of quality.
Expected result is an honest, patriotic, professional, and efficient government that can deliver services to citizens, steady the country, and stick to our national objective regardless of the politics of the day.
