Guard against corruption, President Kenyatta tells PSs

President Kenyatta congratulates Interior principal secretary Mutea Iringo moments after he took the oath of office at State House, Nairobi June 27, 2013. The President told the principal secretaries to guard against corruption and ensure Kenyans get value from government services. STEPHEN MUDIARI  

By LUCAS BARASA  and EDITH FORTUNATE

In Summary

• President says public servants will be put on performance contracts and those who do not deliver will be shown the door.
• Labour PS takes office at a time when the Ministry is grappling with the teachers' strik

President Kenyatta has told principal secretaries to guard against corruption and ensure Kenyans get value from government services.e

The President told the PSs they would be held accountable for the performance of their respective dockets.

"As the people in charge of State Departments, you are expected to ensure public finances and assets under your dockets are used transparently, accountably and strictly for the intended purposes.

"You must, therefore, institute immediate measures to seal all corruption loopholes and ensure that maximum value is derived from every tax shilling for the benefit of our people,” the President told the PSs during their swearing in at State House, Nairobi Thursday.

President Kenyatta appealed to the public to play their role in fighting graft. He said Kenyans must particularly monitor the use of finances devolved to the counties.

“We must do all we can to ensure corruption is not devolved and thereby multiplied 47 times over. Should this happen, then the prospects for the development of our country will be very bleak indeed,” President Kenyatta said.

The President said public servants will be put on performance contracts and those who do not deliver will be shown the door.

“I wish to put it on record that my government will pay keen attention to the implementation of performance contracting, and as pointed out recently, public servants who fail to deliver on performance targets have no business being in office,” President Kenyatta said

The PSs who took office include: Mutea Iringo (Interior), Josephta Mukobe (Co-ordination), John Konchella (Devolution), Peter Oganga Magiti (Planning), Monica Kathina Juma (Defence) and Karanja Kibicho (Foreign Affairs).

Others are: Dr Belio Kipsang (Education), Prof Colletta Suda (Science and Technology), Dr Kamau Thugge (National Treasury), Prof Fred H. K. Segor (Health), Nduva Muli (Transport), John Kipngetich Mosonik (Infrastructure), James Teko Lopoyetum (Water), Richard Lerisian Lesiyampe (Environment and Natural Resources) and Mariamu El Maawy (Land, Housing and Urban Development).

Also sworn in were Joseph Musuni Tiampaty (Information, Communication and Technology), Patrick Omutia (Sports, Culture and the Arts), Ali Noor Ismail (Labour, Social Security and Services), Joseph K. Njoroge
(Energy and Petroleum), Sicily Kanini Kariuki (Agriculture), Dr Khadijah Kassachom (Livestock), Prof Japheth Micheni Ntiba (Fisheries), Dr Wilson Songa (Industrialisation and Enterprise Development), 

Mwanamaka Amani Mabruki (East African Community Affairs), Dr Ibrahim M. Mohamed (Commerce and Tourism) and Richard Ekai Titus (Mining).

The Labour PS takes office at a time when the Ministry is grappling with the teachers' strike and that of nurses.

President Kenyatta said the PSs must discharge their duties diligently to deliver the transformation of the country that Kenyans desire.

“My expectation is that you will neither disappoint me nor the people of Kenya,” President Kenyatta said.

He said the PSs should also embrace the key values and principles of efficient, effective and economic use of resources; responsive, impartial and equitable provision of services; accountability for administrative acts; transparency and provision of timely and accurate information to the public.

He said it is PSs and Cabinet Secretaries responsibility to ensure the government is highly effective.

President Kenyatta said PSs and Cabinet Secretaries should work closely for the government to run seamlessly and deliver services to Kenya.

He said the PSs should put in place systems and processes that will ensure efficient service delivery, including service charters and performance contracts.