Muturi roots for premier institution to enhance public service excellence

SADIK HASSAN AND MARIAM SEFU- KNA 

The Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Human Capital Development, Justin Muturi, has advocated for the establishment of a premier institution dedicated to developing curricula aimed at realizing excellence in African public service. 

CS Muturi noted that a unified approach to public service training will pro duce leaders with unwavering allegiance to their governments, the ability to evaluate policy implications, a focus on delivering public services efficiently and effectively, and a commitment to implementing administrative decisions regardless of personal preferences. 

The CS opened the first Africa Schools of Government Conference, hosted by the Kenya School of Government (KSG) at its Mombasa Campus. 

The four-day forum, themed “Advancing Africa’s Public Service Excellence: United in Pursuit of Capable Institutions and Transformed Leadership,” attracted delegates from schools of government, independent commissions, regulatory and enforcement agencies, devolved governance institutions, higher learning institutions, ministries and agencies, as well as multilateral and bilateral development agencies, and governance organizations. 

In line with the theme, the conference examined mechanisms for advancing public service excellence and pursuing a unified approach to enhance the capacity building of Africa’s public service. 

It serves as a platform for collaboration and linkages between African Management Development Institutes (MDIs) and Schools of Government, facilitating peer-to-peer learning as a strategy for fulfilling their mandates. 

CS Muturi emphasized that the Africa Agenda 2063, under the mantra “The Africa We Want,” envisions advancing public sector excellence through capable institutions and transformed leadership in Africa. 

“This conference today is united in pursuit to realize capable institutions and transformed leadership co ordinated by Premier Africa School of Government,” the CS said.

He added that the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 clarion call is “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century”.

It aspires that heads of governments, ministers and senior public servants have access to the latest thinking on institutional reform, management and leadership competencies that drive value creation in policy environments and governments. 

The CS said that over the years, KSG and MDIs have provided learning and development programmes to capacity-build public officers in different aspects of management and operations of Government in Kenya, the region, and the continent and beyond. 

“We believe that the mission of KSG situates it in the middle of poli tics and public service, to solve some of the most contentious issues facing Africa’s leadership to day,” CS Muturi stated. 

“We also believe that by combining cut ting-edge research, training and direct inter action with practitioners, KSG has proven to be a capable institution with strong leadership to solve capacity building of Africa’s public service that no other institution can match,” he added. 

The CS further under scored the need to change Africa for the better, be united in pursuit of realizing capable institutions and transform leadership by changing African Schools of Government to build and develop cutting-edge programs that can tackle, unlock and develop transformative solutions to public challenges. 

The delegates were urged to use their talents to foster a more diverse and inclusive African community everywhere they are called to serve. “Change Africa’s pub lic service, change it for the better, make it more humane, make it more just, make it more pros perous, and make it more peaceful,” the CS said.