• Koskei said the government will also leverage the support of National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) stationed across the country.
• PS Omollo commended NGAOs across the country for their efforts in ensuring the safety of Kenyans.
Image: INTERIOR MINS/X
The government has expressed commitment to rooting out corruption in the public service as part of its efforts to enhance service delivery to Kenyans.
Head of Public Service and State House Chief of Staff Felix Koskei says the government has resolved to change tack in tackling the menace which he says has derailed development in the country.
Koskei said the new strategy involves strengthening investigating agencies and leveraging the support of National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) stationed across the country.
"EACC, and DCI will continue with their mandate of investigating and getting to know what really happened in the circumstance that there is an issue of corruption,” Koskei said.
He made the remarks Friday while presiding over a security meeting with senior government administrators at the Kenya School of Government (KSG), Lower Kabete.
The meeting which was also attended by Internal Security PS Raymond Omollo focused on reviewing the performance of government institutions during the 2022-23 Financial Year.
Participants explored strategies to effectively combat corruption, which has infiltrated various government departments.
Koskei emphasised the importance of a collaborative, all-of-government approach in tackling the vice in alignment with President William Ruto's commitment to a corruption-free country.
The Head of Public Service said the government will focus on enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and the enhancement of service delivery to mwananchi at the grassroots as it moves into the next financial year.
"That is why we have been having a series of meetings targeting areas that are prone to corruption, areas like public works, health, procurement and finance to have this conversation and come up with ways of ensuring never again will a government be defeated in fighting corruption."
To win the war against corruption, Koskei emphasised the importance of collaboration among the Executive, Judiciary and Parliament and urged administrators to play a leading role in communicating the government's stance on corruption at the grassroots.
On his part, PS Omollo commended NGAOs across the country for their efforts in ensuring the safety of Kenyans.
He noted that their responses have positioned the Interior Ministry as one of the key enablers of sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development in the country.
"As the chairs of the respective Security and Intelligence Committees in their jurisdictions, these officers have progressively cascaded the all-of-government approach to security and law enforcement," he said.
He said with the help of NGAOs, the government has managed to recover over 100 firearms from civilians and silenced bandits in the North Rift.
Omollo revealed that the government has lined up various interventions to improve the capacity of NGAO officers, key among them being infrastructure upgrades, training and provision of mobility and logistical support through the Government Vehicle Leasing Programme.
The PS said currently, NGAOs have only 432 vehicles with a deficit of 1,072 vehicles for field officers, 80 vehicles for Ministry headquarters departments and Agencies, and 4,000 motorcycles for Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs whose acquisition will go a long way to enhancing their operations.
He also revealed plans to operationalise the 28 newly gazetted sub-counties in response to the increasing demand for further decentralisation of government services.