By J, KNA
The Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to enhancing efficiency, value for money and service delivery across the public sector through innovative and sustainable financing models.
National Treasury Principal Secretary (PS) Dr Chris Kiptoo said that the Government Transport Leasing Programme remains a flagship reform that has fundamentally transformed mobility for frontline public officers.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Administrative Secretary at the National Treasury, Samson Wangusi, during the flag off ceremony for a new batch of government leased vehicles to the Police Service Commission, Dr. Kiptoo said that the programme has particularly strengthened operations within the National Police Service, other security agencies and essential ambulatory services.
The PS noted that since its launch in 2013, the leasing programme has provided a cost effective and reliable transport solution for government officers with field operations, while simultaneously crowding in private sector financing for critical public service infrastructure through locally denominated sovereign instruments.
“Beyond improving service delivery, the programme has generated far reaching economic spillovers. It has created 1,813 fulltime jobs, revitalized Kenya’s automotive industry through the local assembly of over 10,000 vehicles, and generated business worth Sh400 million for local parts and accessories manufacturers,” said Dr. Kiptoo.
He highlighted that local content in vehicle assembly has risen markedly from nine percent to 38 percent, while the programme has raised more than Sh2.69 billion in government revenue.
The PS further observed that the initiative has stimulated allied sectors of the economy, providing the insurance industry with annual premiums valued at approximately Sh.700 million, remitting Sh1.6 billion in taxes to the revenue authority, and sustaining demand for petroleum products worth about Sh2.2 billion annually.
On public safety outcomes, he said enhanced access to police vehicles has increased surveillance by 25.4 per cent, halved police response times to distress calls between 2012 and 2022, and reduced incidents where police were unable to respond from 49.0 per cent in 2012 to 22.1 per cent in 2024, contributing to a significantly improved national crime profile.
He said to date, some 3,548 vehicles have been leased to key government institutions, including the National Police Service, National Government Administrative Officers, Prisons Department, National Transport and Safety Authority, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Ministry of Health, Immigration Department and the Office of the Head of Public Service.
Dr. Kiptoo commended Isuzu East Africa for its enduring partnership with the Government, noting that the firm has been instrumental in supplying vehicles across multiple phases of the programme. Today’s event marked the flag off of 96 vehicles, part of the 591 set to be delivered under Phase VII.
He lauded the company’s contribution to the Government’s environmental agenda, particularly its support for the national target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032 through tree-growing initiatives in Mumandu, Machakos and the Aberdare Forests.
Dr. Kiptoo reaffirmed that the National Treasury will continue to scale up transformative programmes that strengthen public service delivery, support local industry, deepen private sector participation and advance Kenya’s broader economic and sustainability objectives.