This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was posted on a counter at the Civil Registry in Bishop's House, Nairobi, exhorting staff to perform their tasks with the dedication of Michelangelo and Beethoven. However, the officer behind the counter remained unmoved, delivering a lackluster service that is all too familiar to those who have interacted with Kenya's public offices.
As I reflect on my own experiences with the Civil Registry, I am reminded of the enduring presence of mediocrity in Kenya's public service. Despite the efforts of policymakers like Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, who has introduced reforms aimed at improving efficiency and reducing corruption, the norm remains a painful and inefficient process.
But what is the purpose of mediocrity? Why does it seem to thrive in the public sector, despite its obvious drawbacks? To answer this question, we must look beyond the surface level and examine the underlying incentives that drive civil servants to display mediocre performance.
According to Diego Gambetta's book, Codes of the Underworld, there are three counter-intuitive theories that explain the persistence of mediocrity in the public sector. Firstly, many civil servants are hired through cronyism, and to attract and retain the favors of their godfathers, they engage in public incompetence as a way of signaling their attractiveness and securing their job.
Secondly, these godfathers select for mediocrity, as non-mediocre candidates do not get jobs because they will not be grateful to their benefactor. They will always feel entitled to their positions as a result of innate skill and ability, rather than being grateful for the opportunity.
Thirdly, selecting the unsuitable communicates that one is so powerful that they can appoint anyone and anything into a position of influence. This is a way of flaunting power, and it is a strategy that is also used by organized crime groups to attract collaborators and signal their power.
So, what can policymakers do to address the persistence of mediocrity in the public sector? Establishing minimum daily output by each officer and providing them with an excuse to actually do their jobs without offending their superiors might work. However, it is clear that a policy of retraining, capacity building, and assorted inducements to motivate public officers to perform their tasks more competently will fail, as it is not aligned with the officer's interests.
