Koskei calls for public sector reforms to boost productivity

LILIAN GICHOHI-KNA

Senior government leaders and policymakers have called for sweeping structural and cultural reforms across the public sector, warning that Kenya’s long-term fiscal sustainability and service delivery ambitions hinge on a significant improvement in productivity.

Speaking at the opening of the National Performance and Productivity Conference in Nairobi, Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei urged public servants to break away from outdated practices that continue to hamper efficiency and innovation across government institutions.

Koskei emphasized that productivity should not be viewed as a temporary initiative or a policy requirement but as a continuous commitment to creating greater value from public resources.

“Productivity is not a onetime initiative, a policy document, or a performance plan; it is a habit of continuously creating greater value from the resources entrusted to us,” he said.

He urged public institutions to move beyond a culture of compliance and embrace value creation as the cornerstone of public service.

He further called for the protection of professional public service from political interference, arguing that an independent and efficient bureaucracy is critical for achieving national development goals. 

The three-day conference, themed “Productivity for Fiscal Sustainability and Efficient Service Delivery,” brought together representatives from the national government, all 47 county governments, the private sector, trade unions, and development partners.

Organizers adopted a whole-of-government approach aimed at fostering collaboration and sharing best practices on productivity enhancement.

Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) Chairperson Sammy Chepkwony said Kenya had made notable progress in managing its public wage bill, which has declined from 55 percent in 2020 to 40 percent in 2026 through strategic expenditure controls and workforce management measures. However, he cautioned that expenditure reduction alone cannot guarantee sustainable fiscal health.

“The expenditure control curve is starting to flatten at its tail end, proving that the more you control, the results are not significant,” Chepkwony observed.

He noted that future fiscal gains must be driven by measurable productivity improvements that focus on outcomes and impact rather than simply controlling inputs and costs.

Council of Governors Chairperson and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi identified weak workplace culture as one of the major barriers to productivity.

He criticized the tendency by some public officers to treat government employment as a secondary commitment while prioritizing private business interests.

Abdullahi said public resources and working hours must be utilized effectively to ensure citizens receive quality services and value for money.