Working Paper No. 29 of 2019 on Public Sector Reforms in Kenya: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Public sector reforms in Kenya have seen efforts directed towards cost-saving, enhancing efficiency, and improving productivity to ensure people-centered public service delivery. The key cross-cutting issues in the public service sub-sectors that formed the focus of this study include administrative capacity building; strengthening the policy process; institutional reforms; and right-sizing of the civil service. Public sector reform is a process and not a one-time event, prompting the need to identify and address emerging opportunities and prevailing challenges to facilitate successful implementation of reforms. A detailed literature review and key informant interviews were conducted to establish the challenges and opportunities in maintaining momentum in implementing the reforms. In deepening administrative capacity building, notable progress has been made including the introduction of results-based management, establishment of the Kenya School of Government, and enhanced role of the Public Service Commission anchored in the new Constitution. Some challenges, though, have emerged including: resource constraints in fully exploiting the benefits of performance contracting; lack of a measuring index to adequately evaluate the impact of the various initiatives on improving professionalism; weak coordination of public service institutions at national and county government levels; and the yet to be fully implemented.