Raila Odinga's big plan for a working civil service
ODM leader Raila Odinga during a meeting with Jubilee and ODM's women leaders from Nairobi County on January 16, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Mr Odinga said Kenya needs a system where industrious staff are rewarded while those who not perform well face the sack, salary stagnation or no promotion.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga Sunday outlined his vision for a modern civil service, noting the need for a proper rewards system for the hardworking and consequences for those who do not meet the mark.
Mr Odinga said Kenya needs a system where industrious staff are rewarded while those who not perform well face the sack, salary stagnation or no promotion.
In a continuation of a series on his vision for the country, the former Prime Minister also said Kenya requires a robust structure and a system for ensuring competitive pay, as well as a welfare system covering basic salary, allowances and welfare expenses for civil servants.
“This should ensure the civil service attracts and retains men and women of quality. We can then subject the civil service to rigorous performance measurements and public perception tests,” Mr Odinga said in a statement Sunday.
“Those who perform will be rest assured of benefits while those who fail will know there are consequences that include no promotion, pay stagnation or release from the service.”
The ODM boss further said the civil service should be thefoundation of nation building and national development.
“Nations begin to fail when the civil service begins to fail. Over the years, Kenya has maintained a comparatively functional civil service but there remains tremendous room for improvement. I envisage a civil service defined by discipline, hard work, high morale, efficiency and high ethical standards."
Fighting all ills
Mr Odinga said that for the country to realise this, the issue of nepotism, tribalism and favouritism in the civil service must first be addressed.
“These three ills have demoralized so many officers who then become mere hostages to a system they believe does not appreciate them,” he noted.
Frustrated officers, Mr Odinga said, only stay on just to secure pension and turn to other means of supplementing their incomes and finding fulfillment.
They become brokers where they are supposed to be moderators and it’s the nation and citizens who are the losers, he added.
“We must give our civil servants the assurance that if they work hard, maintain a clean record and exercise discipline, nothing will stand between them and rising to the top.”
“It’s possible to run a civil service that thrives on seniority and merit-based promotions. We have to eliminate conflict of interest in the civil service. This is the main cause of the corruption, public mistrust and poor and delayed services that have come to be associated with public sector,” the former PM added.
He noted that when government procurement officers are also suppliers, the consequences are obvious, hence the need to promote creativity in the civil service.
Career progression
Mr Odinga said the country also needs to design and adhere to a clear career progression path for civil servants, that stands no matter which party or leader is in power.
The world over, he said, civil servants tend to play it safe, merely taking and implementing instructions.
“Kenya is not any different. We have to change this and institutionalise ways to enable civil servants who have different ideas on how to do better, bring their ideas to the table.”
“We need to devise a way through which civil servants can be allowed to spend time in the private sector and return to public service. Such a system creates an understanding in the public service of how the private sector does its work and how the two sectors can complement each other,” he noted.
He said there is need to enhance the capacity of the civil service to engage in strategic thinking.
“Many times, civil servants are caught in routine office work. We need to push our civil service in the direction of the private sector, where there is strategic thinking rather than business as usual, where maintaining status quo is a must or you sink.”
“We must create linkages between government and private sector, particularly the think tanks to enable civil servants pursue routine work and engage in strategic thinking at the same time,” said the ODM leader in his blue print.
Need for thinktanks
The ODM leader also highlighted the need to put maximum emphasis on creating and making use of first-rate thinktanks with no jobs “other than to think for the country.”
“We will need to pack such institutions with the best brains and experienced hands and use them to feed our civil service with timely research, analysis and policy suggestions,” he noted.
He said Kenya needs to borrow from the developed world, where public policy thinktanks are many and are key players in government operations.
“We will need to maintain an up-to-date database on solid professionals and experts on issues like manufacturing, technology, economy, education, youth and international affairs, and constantly tap into them.”
“As we tap into thinktanks, refresher courses for civil servants will be a must. These are important in helping steer officers away from what has worked in the past to what addresses current and anticipated challenges.”
