Governor develops performance contracting to instill integrity, efficiency in county staff

By: Kevin Kyalo

MOMBASA—The Governor of Wajir now want county staff to practice high standards of professionalism and integrity while serving the public.

Speaking in Mombasa during the closing remarks of a three-day capacity building session in aid of AHADI, Governor Mohamed Abdi called on his cabinet to avoid ideas and service provisions inspired by past political leaning in a bid to achieve efficiency and equality in county resource distribution.

“We should depoliticize the public service and desist from open political biasness, campaigns and hate. Elections are now behind us and it is now time for service delivery,” the governor said.

Abdi stated that the campaign to achieve high performance among the county staff was one he would personally push for, adding that his first task when he assumed office was to set up the department of performance contracting.

“Immediately I was elected, I restructured my office to accommodate a Department of Performance Contracting, Service Delivery and Projects Implementation packaged together with its budget so as to re-ignite the recovery path witnessed by the NARC Government in the 2003,” Abdi noted.

Performance contracting is a management tool for measuring performance against negotiated targets. 

He continued that, “Organizations where performance management systems are practiced and resources devoted, service provision to citizens have been demonstrated to improve and economies grow.”

The governor challenged his cabinet to set as example by sticking to the articles of the contract while calling for the same to be trickled down to junior officers to achieve higher results and public satisfaction in the service his administration dispenses.

“We should strive to embrace a culture of hard work, professionalism and integrity and this calls for you providing the leadership and being always the first to report to your offices and share departmental plans with the rest of your team members in order to inculcate team work and ownership,” Governor directed.

BUILDING BRIDGES 

A day after he shook hands with his arch political opponent at a Nairobi hotel, Abdi directed the cabinet to move the efforts of bringing the people of Wajir together following 18 months of high pitch post-election circus and court petitions.

“Wajir County is one and we continue to pull its residents together and I therefore urge you to follow my example and actualize the building bridges meetings we have conducted on 31st March 2019. This will earn you acceptance all over the County and make your departmental,” the governor noted.

The output of the meeting, Abdi said, “will soon sign the contracts with you, the County Executive Committee Members, preferably by mid of this month and have it fully embraced in all our sectors.”

The three-day workshop was held at the Travelers Beach Hotel in Mombasa.