By C, KNA
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi on Friday evening led the government in a frank appraisal of the 2025 public service performance, using the annual reflection dinner in Kisumu to outline stringent governance, accountability and fiscal discipline benchmarks that will guide the administration in 2026.
Delivering his keynote address at the event held at Tom Mboya Labour College, the CS praised renewed coherence across ministries, departments and agencies, attributing the shift to what he termed bold reforms championed by President Dr William Ruto.
The year, he said, had ushered in a new Public Service ethos, one defined by efficiency, collaboration and whole-of-government execution. He cited the full rollout of e-government procurement and the Treasury Single Account—long-delayed but critical reforms—as markers of a decisive turn in public resource management.
“So bold were we that we even dared to roll out critical yet feared reforms. Such reforms though necessary have been delayed and feared. Credit to the boldness of the team that saw it fully implemented,” he said.
Mbadi warned that momentum alone would not suffice, insisting that 2026 would demand deeper introspection, heightened integrity and stricter adherence to governance laws.
Corruption, he cautioned, remained one of the most persistent threats to service delivery, describing it as a betrayal of public trust and a direct impediment to national development.
The CS told Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, CEOs and board chairs who attended the event that next year would be unforgiving to impropriety.
“Our resolve must be unshakeable. We will intensify efforts to prevent, detect and respond decisively to any form of corruption, impropriety or misuse of public resources. Corruption and service delivery cannot coexist,” he said.
“I cannot sack you as a Principal Secretary but I can remove you from the position of accounting officer,” he told PSs who are accounting officers for various state departments.
He backed Head of Public Service Felix Koskei’s governance reform push, especially the Zero Fault Audit Campaign, calling it a standard that must be entrenched across government.
Zero-fault auditing, he explained, was not about blame but about precision, transparency and predictability through continuous monitoring, proper documentation and early correction of vulnerabilities.
With the country’s fiscal space tightening, Mbadi said austerity was unavoidable.
He called for elimination of wastage, curbing of non-essential expenditure, strict cost containment and ensuring that every shilling spent yields measurable value.
Foreign travel, he said, would be restricted to protect resources for essential services. State corporations, he added, will face heightened scrutiny, with boards and management held fully accountable for governance or performance lapses.
Presidential directives and Cabinet decisions, he stressed, would be treated as non-negotiable obligations.
The CS anchored the administration’s 2026 priorities on prudent resource management, stronger inter-ministerial coordination, shared problem-solving, discipline and ethical leadership.
A modern, productive and coordinated public service, he said, remained the government’s ambition.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, who convened the dinner, reinforced Mbadi’s message with a detailed review of the government’s 2025 governance and performance data, describing the year as a pivotal moment in restoring discipline in public institutions.
Koskei reported that the Zero Fault Audit Campaign had transformed financial stewardship, raising clean audit opinions to 79.39 per cent—up from below 35 per cent before the reforms.
Some 42 anti-corruption sensitization forums, he said, reached about 5,000 senior officers, 196 MDAs filed corruption risk assessments with the EACC, and 34 surcharge cases were opened, with Sh70.59 million pending recovery.
Automation, he said, continued to shift the public service into a digitally coordinated system adding the Foreign Travel Automation System processed 1,794 travel applications, while digitisation of the Power of Mercy process increased petitions handled from 1,840 in 2023 to 3,489 by November 2025.
This, he said contributed to the general amnesty of 4,799 petty offenders and saving taxpayers more than Sh103 million.
Koskei said 2026 would not introduce new initiatives but focus on completion, consolidation and laser-focused execution.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Ruku grounded the evening’s reflections in citizens’ daily experiences, noting that despite Kenya’s strong and resilient public service, gaps in punctuality, attitude and diligence continue to undermine service delivery.
Audits by his Ministry, he said, had uncovered significant administrative and financial breaches, and accountability measures would be applied firmly in 2026.
He urged officers to uphold Article 232 values, treat every Kenyan as a client, and show particular diligence in remote areas where residents depend heavily on government presence.
The Ministry, he said, was in the process of rolling out digital platforms to modernise the sector and boost service delivery.
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli closed the evening with a robust defense of Kenya’s civil service, calling it one of the most professional and responsive on the continent.
Drawing on decades of engagement with regional governments, Atwoli said Kenya’s public service remained exceptional and urged officers not to be distracted by political noise.
He said civil servants hold significant influence over the success of any administration and should actively support and communicate government programmes.
Various Principal Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers, Cabinet Secretaries and Chairmen of Boards were awarded for exemplary service in different categories.