Why Kenyans have little confidence in their government and its institutions

Free Primary Education was the genuine achievement; the only achievement since the Narc government came into being, that brought hope to all Kenyans.

Kenya achieved high economic growth under the Narc government, but it turns out that most Kenyans are poorer now than 10 years ago.

Citizens are wondering what that historic change election was about.

After that election, Kenyans were elated. Kenya was a land of hope.

People now wonder what that euphoria was all about.

People feel that corruption is just as rampant now as it was 10 years ago.

The FPE corruption case has brought on a crisis of confidence.

Even for a meagre pay, mothers and fathers work very hard, even when they are sick, so that they can give a gift of life that is education, to the children they so dearly love.

Many mothers and fathers cry because they can not scrape hundreds of shillings to buy books or school uniforms, so their children cannot go to school.

As we speak, a mother has been buried in Tot in Marakwet.

The 40-year-old Josephine Kipyatich committed suicide because she could not bear the pain and the shame of failing to take her son to Form One after he passed exams. We let Mrs Kipyatich and her son down.

Mothers and fathers are told that government officials have been eating those monies that they have been working so hard for but could hardly earn.

They are told by the Minister and the Permanent Secretary that “we did not know about it, so we are not responsible.” People ask how can it be? People do not believe in what the senior officials tell them.

The ill of corruption is that it eats into the social fabric.

What lessons are these FPE corruption stories teaching young pupils?

What lessons do our young people get from the scenes of police officers extorting money?

Many, many young people now think that stealing public money and making a quick buck is the way to get ahead.

Kenyans are losing trust in public institutions. People are losing Confidence in government. It is endangering our social fabric and social cohesion.

International donors too are losing confidence.

The four aid agencies that fund the primary education in our country collectively have set four conditions to resume their funding.

We were supposed to be past this stage where donors set conditions for us.

It is a chapter we were supposed to have closed 10 years ago. We will find a way of meeting their requirements. But this time we will go well beyond what the donors require.

We do not want cosmetic changes. We want a fundamental and systemic change for the sake of this nation, for the people we serve.

What then do we do? Do not pass the buck. Do not blame your subordinates. Do not blame the donors. Do not blame the press. The buck stops with you.

First, you are entrusted by the public for the overall management and administration of your ministry.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your ministry, and the staff who work there, serve the public.

If your ministry fails, or your staff fails, you take responsibility.

If you, or your ministry, lose confidence of the public, then you can no longer serve the public.

In accordance with this principle of institutional accountability, I have recommended the President to direct the Minister of Education and the Permanent Secretary to step down.

Second, the principle of institutional accountability must transcend the entire organisational structure of every ministry.

Departmental Directors are accountable for the performance of the departments they head as well as the conduct of their staff.

Likewise, Division Heads are accountable for the units that they head.

The Permanent Secretaries, are responsible for putting in place such organisational structure, and instill the principle of institutional accountability in each and all of the senior staff they supervise.

I direct the Permanent Secretary for Performance Contracting to revise all existing contracts and insert a clause that stipulates that once the ministry as a whole or individual units in it are charged with serious malpractices, the person who heads the ministry or the units involved automatically and voluntarily steps down, irrespective of whether he or she is directly implicated in that case.

A responsible government does not wait for a Kacc ruling or a court verdict.

Once a public servant loses the confidence of the public he or she is to serve, he or she can no longer serve the public.

The explicit stipulation of this principle in the performance contract de-politicises the personnel decision.

The expeditious enforcement of accountability through a strong clause in Performance Contract is particularly important because prompt resolution of any charges cannot be expected at Kacc under the current circumstances.

Cases after cases are piling up at Kacc, and the public no longer regards Kacc as an effective anti-corruption instrument.

It is viewed as a parking lot for cases.

Many of our public institutions do not have a requisite capacity or organisation to practice this principle.

For example, many of the public institutions may not have monitoring mechanisms that allow you to exercise adequate control over the operations of your ministry.

We will examine together how to put in place necessary capacity and operational procedures.

Investigations into an alleged malpractice should be conducted by neutral parties.

If the Ministry of Education conducts investigations into the missing billions of shillings or millions of books, the public would naturally be sceptical.

This also applies to the Ministry of Finance.

If misuse of public funds has been going on for several years, then the Ministry of Finance becomes an interested party.

Henceforth, the responsibility to conduct investigations into allegations of malfeasances will be transferred to the Efficiency Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of the Office of the PM.

Mr Odinga is Kenya’s Prime Minister. These are excerpts of a speech he delivered last week during a workshop for PSs on fighting graft.