Public Service reforms stall as bills and backlogs mount
“Construction is ongoing in regions such as Kaloleni, Ganze, and Molo. A draft policy and bill proposing a ‘one-stop-shop’ service model is now awaiting Cabinet approval,” said outgoing PS Amos Gathecha.
Kenya’s Public Service and Human Capital Development Ministry is under pressure to clear more than Sh1 billion in unpaid training fees at the Kenya School of Government (KSG), finish hundreds of Huduma Centres and restore key insurance covers for civil servants, all while cash runs low.
Principal Secretary Jane Imbunya must now tackle these urgent tasks to keep government operations on track.
The KSG, which provides leadership and management courses to public officers, has racked up debts exceeding Sh1 billion.
Without fresh payments, the school risks cutting programmes and losing accreditation.
Ministry officials are exploring a proposal to "ring-fence" funds so that payments intended for KSG go directly to its accounts, shielding the school from wider budget delays.
They also aim to elevate KSG to an African Union Centre of Excellence to attract grant financing.
At the same time, plans to open 290 Huduma Centres, intended as one-stop shops for citizen services, have fallen far behind schedule.
To date, just 58 centres are complete.
"Construction is ongoing in regions such as Kaloleni, Ganze, and Molo. A draft policy and bill proposing a ‘one-stop-shop’ service model is now awaiting Cabinet approval," said outgoing PS Amos Gathecha.
PS Imbunya has, however, pledged to fast-track the legislation so work can resume without further holdups.
Meanwhile, civil servants face uncertainty after group life and personal accident covers were suspended when the ministry failed to pay premiums.
To strengthen human resource capacity, the ministry supports the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM), which offers certification for HR professionals in both public and private sectors.
The institute received Sh50 million in the latest supplementary budget, yet long-term funding remains unclear as the government seeks to tighten spending.
PS Imbunya intends to seek partnerships with private firms and development agencies to keep IHRM programmes running.
In her first week, the PS met with KSG management, Huduma Centre contractors and civil service unions to map out immediate steps.
She set a target to clear at least Sh500 million of KSG arrears within three months and directed the Attorney General’s office to prioritise the Huduma policy for Cabinet sign-off.
On insurance, she asked the Treasury to release pending funds to reinstate group covers by the end of the quarter.