- President is going big on turning around the agriculture sector.
- Owalo was on Wednesday upbeat that the negotiated targets agreed are achievable.
Image: HANDOUT
Cabinet secretaries have been assigned targets that President William Ruto seeks to utilise in turning around the country’s fortune.
CSs and their principal secretaries have this week been signing commitments to be realised in their respective dockets in the next one year.
This is the first bold step the President has taken to ensure his broad-based Cabinet delivers to Kenyans since the anti-government protests.
Five Cabinet secretaries and their PSs have signed performance contracts in the drive that started on Monday.
Eliud Owalo, the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Performance and Delivery Management, and Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau are leading the process.
Owalo was on Wednesday upbeat that the negotiated targets agreed are achievable.
“I am confident that the targets we have set for the ministries are realistic in light of the previous year’s performance,” Owalo told the Star.
"The performance contracting process is a major milestone for government in institutionalising results-based management at all levels in the public service because 'what gets measured, gets done'."
According to documents seen by the Star, the President is going big on turning around the agriculture sector.
Ruto was elected on a radical economic transformation agenda underpinned by the bottom-up economic model that promised to uplift the poor.
Immediately after assuming the office, he scrapped the unga subsidies and rolled out the subsidised fertiliser programme as part of the plans to reduce the cost of living.
The effort was, however, rocked with scandals, including the fake fertiliser saga that almost claimed political careers of big names in the crucial docket.
To reclaim the sector, Ruto’s administration intends to give farmers 12.5 million bags of fertiliser by June next year and register 200,000 farmers on the e-voucher system.
Agriculture CS Andrew Karanja, his PSs Paul Ronoh and Jonathan Mueke are looking at rolling out the distribution of 27 high-yielding sugar cane varieties.
Karanja’s team has also committed to enhance the tea sector through the implementation of value-addition facilities and the completion of a scientific tea tasting centre.
“Purchase and instal 220 bulk milk coolers in 36 counties. Restock livestock due to drought and floods, distribute 65,334 animals to 10,208 households in 16 counties,” the negotiated document reads.
To stimulate the coffee sector, the administration is planning to waive Sh2 billion coffee debts in the 2024-25 financial year through Wycliffe Oparanya’s Cooperatives docket.
Ruto is also banking on Oparanya’s ministry to enable access to affordable finance to spur the growth of MSMEs.
In the Trade ministry, the government is seeking to develop cotton, textile and apparels policy to boost Buy-Kenya-Build Kenya initiative.
To stimulate growth of businesses in the country, the Salim Mvurya's Trade ministry is planning a uniform county licensing regulations to enhance ease of doing business in all the 47 devolved units.
The ministry will complete the development and opening of four EPZs to increase industrial investments and contribution of export performance.
Mvurya committed to turning around the Kenya National Trading Corporation and instituting reforms to improve the investment climate and business environment.
All these will be in place by June next year.
In Alice Wahome’s Lands docket, Kenya Kwanza is planning to register and issue 280,000 title deeds this financial year.
The ministry has up to June 2025 to digitalise land registries and offer online land services in three counties-Mombasa, Isiolo and Marsabit.
“Settle 16,000 landless households in different counties in 2024-25 financial year,” the negotiated commitments for the Lands ministry read.
Some 66,155 housing units will also be constructed under the affordable housing programme.
Similarly, the government plans to build 100 Economic Stimulus Programme markets and 27 modern markets by next year.
The Owalo/Wanjau team will on Thursday take the performance contracting to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s office, followed by the Water ministry the same day. They will close the week at Interior and Roads ministries.
Next week, the team has lined up meetings at Labour and Environment ministries, followed by Public Service and the Office of the Attorney General.
The team will then meet with Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen and Blue Economy CS Hassan Joho on October 2.
The following day, similar meetings will be held with Treasury CS John Mbadi and his Tourism counterpart Mary Miano.
Education and EAC ministries are scheduled to agree on the deliverables on October 4, while Energy and Defence are slotted for October 7.
Gender ministry and State House will have their day on October 8, followed by offices of the Chief of Staff and Deputy President the following day.