The Head of Public Service (HoPS), Felix Koskei, has directed Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of parastatals to align their institutional strategies with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
He also emphasised the need to eliminate corruption loopholes within their organisations in order to accelerate national development.
Speaking in Mombasa during the inaugural caucus of CEOs under the Executive Kenya umbrella, Koskei said President William Ruto had emphasised during the third Cabinet retreat the need for all government arms and agencies to deliver tangible development outcomes.
“The message could not have been clearer: there is no space for complacency. Every arm, agency, and authority of Government must align and act with a singular intent: to make the productive presence of government felt in every village, every ward and every county,” stated Koskei.
The CEOs were challenged to ensure that every programme, line of expenditure, and performance obligation is tethered to positively impact BETA priority areas and to align institutional outputs to the nation’s strategic imperatives.
“We no longer audit effort; we measure effect. Henceforth, performance reviews shall be exacting assessments of how your work is bettering the lives of our citizens,” said Koskei.
Kenyans, HoPS noted, are growing restive as a result of delays in opacity in procurement, leakage of public funds, and, in some instances, blatant corruption.
“These are not simply technical defects; they are breaches of trust. They deprive citizens of dignity, breed apathy, and imperil the gains hard-earned over decades. We must meet this moment with candour and courage. Without integrity at the heart of leadership, no reform will ever endure,” he stated.
Koskei further explained that when the young people picket, they are not merely protesting policy but failure.
“Their cries echo the disillusionment of a generation confronting systems that are sluggish, aloof, and unresponsive to their truths. They indict complacency, inefficiency, and indifference. We must listen, not with deflection, but with humility,” said the HoPS.
He added, “For their anger is a mirror, a challenge to renew our integrity, to accelerate delivery, and to prove that the Government is still a force for good.”
The CEOs were encouraged to manage the institutions with humility, patriotism, integrity, and urgency in the face of need.
“Let us model from the apex the integrity and accountability we demand. Let us restore the honour of public service, not through platitudes but through demonstrable, visible change,” said Koskei, calling for disciplined execution.
The CEOs were also ordered to strictly comply with the directive of the Head of State that, effective 1st July, no procuring public entity shall be permitted to transact outside of the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system.
“This is not optional. 100 per cent compliance is expected, no exceptions, no delays. Let us not entertain excuses or attempts to resist or circumvent this directive. The system must function, and it must be adopted in full across every public institution,” Koskei reiterated.
“Let us not entertain excuses or attempts to resist or circumvent this directive. The system must function, and it must be adopted in full across every public institution,” he added.
The adoption of the e-GP system is poised to embed transparency, rebuild public trust, and affirm the government’s commitment to a modern, efficient, and digitally empowered nation.
The directive will also seal revenue loopholes that have for years denied Kenyans the full benefit of public resources. “The culture of theft and indifference must end. And it must end with us,” he declared.
The CEOs were also exhorted to act within the law in the execution of their mandates and to be champions of compliance. Koskei explicitly told the Heads of Parastatals that the era of backdoor instructions and phone calls from so-called “ofisi kubwa” is over.
“No one should call you to tell you how to do your job outside the law, and if they do, you are under no obligation to comply. Our stance is firm: follow the law, follow due process, and let accountability be your compass.”
By Sadik Hassan and Covenant Njeru
