The State Department for Irrigation on Thursday held a one-day sensitisation meeting for interns deployed to it by the Public Service Commission.
The induction aimed at equipping them with essential knowledge of public service operations and enhancing their service delivery outputs.
Opening the Induction Meeting, the Director of Administration, Gibson Kamau Muhuhu, who represented the Principal Secretary, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, wished the interns a productive and enriching experience while at the State Department.
The Director observed that the training will not only build the Interns’ capacity in critical areas such as Public Finance Management, organisational structure, Public Service Code of Conduct and Ethics, workplace safety, mental health, Performance Contracting, drugs and substance abuse but will also build the interns’ capacity to effectively contribute to the implementation of the state department’s mandate.
The interns had an opportunity to interact freely with various heads of directorates and units, who took them through the critical areas that they needed to take note of, key among them the need to exercise professionalism, observe workplace ethics and demonstrate a keen understanding of government systems.
The session featured presentations on Kenya’s budgeting processes, the state department’s strategic priorities, key irrigation projects, the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP) and the professional code of conduct, among others.
The sessions were designed to strengthen the interns’ understanding of public service operations and also to foster a culture of accountability and excellence during their one-year internship placement.
The Interns were urged to actively engage in ongoing projects and work towards achieving their annual performance targets while upholding punctuality, commitment, creativity, honesty, professionalism, discipline, and being proactive.
These qualities were emphasised as essential in unlocking their potential and in supporting the State Department of Irrigation’s mission of increasing the area under irrigated agriculture to boost the country’s food security as espoused in the bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) through delivery of quality public services to the citizens.
By Mourine Otouro & Peninah Kihika (PCO)
