The government has reviewed guidelines for foreign travel of Cabinet secretaries, PSs, chairpersons and chief executives of state corporations.
In the new guidelines issued by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, the cumulative days a CS, PS or CEO of a state corporation shall be away from the country should not exceed seven days per travel, 15 days per quarter (three months) and 45 days per year.
He said the officers cleared to travel shall only attend policy-related meetings, events or activities for no more than seven working days, excluding travel dates.
"Cabinet and Principal Secretaries, chairpersons and chief executive officers of state corporations shall synchronise their foreign travel such that both officers are not away from the office at the same time," Koskei said.
Travel clearance applications must be submitted on or seven days before the date of travel and applications received after 5 pm on the deadline date will not be processed.
Further, Koskei said that PSs are required to seek concurrence with their respective Cabinet secretaries before granting travel approval for officers in Job Groups R and above serving in their respective state departments.
"Ministries, departments and agencies are to moderate the frequency of attendance to international conferences and workshops and opt for virtual participation in priority," he said.
"All returning officers shall make individual back-to-office reports on the benefits accrued and a work plan containing programmes, projects, and initiatives to be implemented arising from the foreign trip."
In the new guidelines, Koskei said personal assistants and security will not be approved for travel save for assistants to persons with disability.
"Delegations should include the most relevant technical persons to assist the principal in the meetings related to foreign travel," Koskei said in the new guidelines dated June 29.
However, he said the Deputy President and Prime Cabinet Secretary are exempted from this requirement.
Koskei said the review of the guidelines followed "less than optimal compliance" of guidelines on foreign travel, delegation sizes, application procedures and timelines.
He said non-essential travel remains suspended while all requests for essential travel "must be copied to the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs for their information and advisory".
The applications must be submitted under the hand of the respective Cabinet secretary.
"The application form shall include the full list of ministerial/agency forming part of the delegation and the total cost to be incurred by the delegation," he said.
In the new changes, Koskei said intra-agency approvals for lower-level officers accompanying any delegation will not be separately processed by the respective Principal Secretaries or Chief executive officers.
"Such separate approvals inadvertently increase numbers beyond the limit prescribed," he said.