Mudavadi: Integrity, accountability, and efficiency are key to citizen service
Senior government officials have been directed to adhere to high standards of integrity and be accountable for their actions amid Kenyans’ push for reforms in all sectors.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi emphasized the need for evidence-based decisions informed by reliable data and called for a proper feedback mechanism to improve service delivery to Kenyans.
He highlighted the importance of a people-based approach through the National Development Implementation Committee (NDIC) process, urging the government to listen more to citizens’ voices.
“We are accountable for our actions, and the buck stops with us, so let’s just get things done. This is the legacy we should all aim to leave at the end of our tenure,” Mudavadi stated during the inaugural NDIC meeting at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi. The meeting included senior officials such as Cabinet and Principal Secretaries, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, Attorney General Justin Muturi, and Solicitor General Shadrack Mose.
Mudavadi, also the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary, noted the joint NDIC meeting comes at a defining moment in Kenya’s history, marked by young people exercising their constitutional right to protest the Finance Bill 2024, demanding better governance and service delivery.
“Young people are calling out leaders with a strong message that they are not feeling the impact of our actions. We have shown off our opulence, corruption, and wasteful use of public resources, highlighting our insensitivity to their struggles,” he said.
The meeting observed a minute of silence for the youth who lost their lives during peaceful demonstrations over the past two weeks. Mudavadi stated that the youth demand a more inclusive government sensitive to issues like the high cost of living and lack of employment opportunities.
President William Ruto responded to this unprecedented moment by acknowledging leadership failures, rejecting the Finance Bill 2024, and returning it to the National Assembly for amendment. This leaves a Sh346 billion gap in the 2024/25 budget, complicating the government’s efforts to meet its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) commitments.
Mudavadi stressed the need for a stepwise approach in prioritizing national government programs and projects, given limited resources. He called for aggressive campaigns to seek alternative funding sources from the private sector, development partners, and other channels.
Efficient use and optimization of available funds are crucial, Mudavadi said, adding that innovation should drive the government to develop viable, affordable, and responsive solutions. He emphasized the importance of engaging youth and incorporating their ideas into decision-making processes.
“Let us ensure all stakeholders are engaged in an inclusive, constructive, and participatory ecosystem. Every voice matters, and we must listen more than we talk,” he said.
Mudavadi also stressed the need to assess whether senior government officials are supporting the President in improving governance and delivering on promises of social and economic transformation, or if their decisions and lifestyles are hindering equitable growth and prosperity for all Kenyans.
Acknowledging that the Finance Bill 2024 protests were hijacked by criminal elements, Mudavadi called for a renewed focus on the social contract with Kenyans, promising to deliver on BETA and improve service delivery across all sectors and regions.
“In just three years, we will be asking our people to renew our mandate to lead this beautiful nation for another five years. The fundamental question is: what will our scorecard look like? We must strive to win the hearts and trust of the people in the remaining period by rolling up our sleeves and working for them,” Mudavadi said.
He urged the government to deliver the benefits of the BETA pillars, such as advancing agricultural value chains, expanding the Hustler Fund to support MSMEs, scaling up affordable housing, achieving universal health coverage, and integrating youth into the digital economy and creative spaces.
“It is time for us to cut our cloth according to our size through prudent utilization of resources and targeted investments in BETA programs that yield the best results for the target beneficiaries,” Mudavadi affirmed.
He emphasized that every shilling counts in this new journey and urged accounting officers at all MDAs to be more diligent in protecting allocated resources. He also reminded them of their obligation to fight corruption, which has significantly eroded public trust in the government.
