By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 7 January 2026 - The Cabinet Committee on Governance, Social Sector and Public Administration has signalled a sharper pivot toward results-driven governance after convening on Wednesday to review priority State programmes and policy interventions for 2026.
Senior government officials emerging from the meeting framed the session not as a routine stocktaking exercise, but as a strategic reset aimed at tightening coordination, improving accountability, and confronting persistent implementation gaps across ministries.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the review was intended to “move government from planning to delivery,” arguing that policy coherence had become a defining challenge for the administration.
“We have good policies on paper, but 2026 must be the year when citizens feel the impact of those policies in their daily lives,” Mudavadi said adding that “This committee is about breaking silos and insisting on collective responsibility.”
Attorney General Dorcas Oduor emphasised the legal and institutional dimension of the review, noting that several programmes were assessed for constitutional compliance and policy alignment.
“Public programmes must not only be ambitious; they must be lawful, coordinated and defensible,” Muturi said. “Where legal or policy gaps exist, we have a duty to flag them early before implementation.”
The presence of the National Treasury at the centre of the discussions underscored growing pressure to reconcile development priorities with fiscal realities. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi warned that funding decisions in 2026 would be increasingly performance-based.
“We can no longer afford duplication or underperforming programmes,” Mbadi said. “Budget support will follow clear outcomes, not intentions.”
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Sector Cabinet Secretaries used the forum to defend flagship programmes while acknowledging bottlenecks ranging from human capital constraints to inter-agency overlaps. Education CS Julius Ogamba said the committee’s intervention was necessary to align social-sector investments with labour market needs.
“Education, labour and youth policies cannot operate in isolation,” Ogamba said. “This platform allows us to correct mismatches that have persisted for years.”
ICT and Digital Economy CS Eliud Owalo described digital transformation as an enabling tool rather than a standalone project.
“Digital systems must support service delivery across government, not exist as parallel initiatives,” Owalo said.
Analysts say the composition of the meeting — drawing from defence, public service, youth, tourism, ASALs, water, and regional development portfolios — reflects the administration’s attempt to consolidate governance, social protection, and economic recovery under a single performance framework.
Officials indicated that resolutions from the meeting will directly inform budget prioritisation, legislative proposals, and inter-ministerial implementation plans ahead of the next financial year.
The Cabinet Committee is expected to meet again in the coming weeks to track compliance and assess whether ministries are translating commitments into measurable outcomes.
Cabinet Committee Signals Shift to Results-Driven Governance in 2026 Policy Review
Kenyan Government Shifts Focus From Planning to Delivery
