Archives October 2022

SPEECH BY HON. AISHA JUMWA KATANA, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SERVICE, GENDER AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION DURING THE MINISTERIAL HANDOVER CEREMONY AT HARAMBEE HOUSE ON 28TH OCTOBER, 2022

Prof. Margaret Kobia, Ph.D, EGH, my Colleague and Outgoing Cabinet Secretary,

Hon. (Dr.) Jebii Kilimo, EGH, Chief Administrative Secretary

Principal Secretaries, Mrs. Mary Kimonye, CBS and Prof. Collette A. Suda, CBS

Ministry Officials Present,

Members of the Press.

Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to join you this morning at this Ministerial handover ceremony. At the onset, I wish to express my gratitude to H.E., the President for appointing me as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action. It is indeed humbling and a great honour.

Allow me to appreciate the outgoing Cabinet Secretary for her strong leadership and hard work during her tenure in this Ministry. I look forward to continue her legacy and draw upon her wisdom.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

This Ministry sits at the core of our national development. On the one hand, Public Service is the engine of Service Delivery to the citizens. On the other hand, Gender and Affirmative Action are weighty and urgent issues that our nation must focus on, if we are to attain all-inclusive and transformative development. Women form the majority of our population.

I join this Ministry fully aware of the enormity and importance of the assignment before me and the team I will be working with, as well as the high expectations of Kenya, regarding the performance of this Ministry. It is therefore important to note, that we have no choice, but to “hit the ground running”.

I am encouraged to know, that I will benefit from the work of my predecessor, Prof. Kobia who has ably steered this Ministry and delivered transformative programmes to women, youth and PWDs especially under the Affirmative Action Programmes and spearheaded development of critical policies for Public Service Management. Thank you CS, I wish you well in your future plans.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

CS Kobia has this morning, given me a detailed brief of key priorities and achievements of the Ministry. I will be guided by the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto, build on these achievement on each of the key areas of focus:

On Public Service:

I will work to ensure that we have an efficient and effective Public Service through:

  • Having the right people with the right skills in the right jobs;
  • Efficient utilization of Public resources (reduce wastage while increasing performance and productivity);
  • Adherence to National Value and Principles as per Article 10, 232 and Chapter Six (6) of the Constitution;
  • To continue the drive in bringing transformation in public service delivery agenda of the Public Service at both levels of Governments;

On Gender

I note that, a lot has been achieved over the years in the areas of gender

equality, women empowerment especially representation in decision making, breaking the silence on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Economic Empowerment. However, more still remains to be done.

i. Priority will be given to Women’s Economic Empowerment, ending GBV and implementation of the Constitutional provisions of Article 81(b) of not more than two thirds of either gender).

ii. To develop an Affirmative Policy.

iii. To support the finalization of the process of merger of the Affirmative Action Funds into the proposed Biashara Bank.

In implementing this broad mandate, I will be guided by the Spirit of the Sustainable Development Goal of “Leave no one behind” – inclusivity, engagement and partnerships will remain key, as you know the issues under this Ministry are cross-cutting. The Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action is one of the enablers of this Agenda.

For all the other Ministries to deliver on this Agenda, the Country requires a highly efficient and result based Public Service. So, Public Service Transformation will remain a key area of focus for me in order to ensure:-

I. Services are provided in an efficient and effective manner.

ii. That public resources are used for the intended purposes.

iii. Public Servants embrace the right culture in delivery of services and creating an enabling environment for facilitating national development.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

To succeed, I am fully aware that I cannot do this alone, each and every officer has a role to play. My role as the CS will be provide the requisite leadership, direction and environment to inspire and encourage high performance in the Ministry and to build the requisite networks and partnerships with our key stakeholders within and without Government.

I urge the Heads of Department to build strong teams within their various departments and to adhere to the specific targets expressed in the government’s development Agenda under the MTP III and the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto.

My vision and desire is to run a highly cohesive and citizen responsive Ministry, guided by the values and Principles of Governance and the various policies already in place.

As I conclude, I wish to express special appreciation to the team at the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) who supported me in delivering on the PSC mandate. I hope to bring from PSC useful insights in the management of the affairs of this Ministry.

Let me end by wishing you all a good day and invite you to join me as we work to deliver services to our citizens.

Finally, I would like to wish our outgoing Cabinet Secretary the very best for the future and God’s blessings in the next chapter of her journey.

May God bless you all and may God bless Kenya.

THANK YOU.