By Dawan Africa - Reporter
Nairobi(Mogadishu24)-The President of Kenya, Dr. William Samoi Ruto, has locked out several Cabinet Ministers and Principal Secretaries from a performance contracts signing event at the State House on Tuesday for arriving late.. Among those affected were Minister for Interior, Kithure Kindiki, and Trade Minister Moses Kuria, along with several other ministers and PSs.
The President directed them to write letters explaining the reasons for showing up late for an important event. He noted that discipline, punctuality, and selflessness are essential for effective service delivery.
During the event, President Ruto also voiced his concerns about incompetence among some Ministers, pointing out that many lacked sufficient knowledge of the affairs in their respective ministries and departments.
“You have very scanty information. The moment I know more than you know about your ministry, then you must begin to understand that something is very wrong because by the constitution, you are supposed to advise. Explain to me how you will advise me if you have less information than I do. I called many PSs and asked them what is going on here, and they had no clue. This is your department, and that is the job you have,” President Ruto said.
He added: “You are the Ps or the Minister, and you don’t know your job. How do you run a ministry, department, or parastatal if you have no information? That is the highest level of incompetence.”
Moreover, President Ruto addressed the issue of corruption, vowing not to tolerate any more graft or scandals within the government’s institutions. He asserted that his administration will use public funds for only genuine projects that benefit the Kenyan people and not for personal gain.
“Because of a long history of white elephant projects and corruption scandals, some see these commitments as vendor-driven kickback rackets disguised conspiracies to embezzle public funds,” he stated.
“I made a commitment to the people of Kenya that there will be no money to steal. There is only money to deliver on the projects and aspirations of Kenyans,” Dr. Ruto added.
President Ruto highlighted the Kenyan government’s progress in managing its finances responsibly, focusing on collecting taxes and reducing the reliance on borrowing.
“Today our county is on a fairly sound economic footing and our decision to do more around collecting our own taxes, living within our means, borrow less and work on our fiscal deficit, I must admit has paid off better than I even thought of myself,” the President said.
During this event, the President also declared government’s intention to implement its commitments to serve Kenyans systematically, stating that “its performance shall be robust, its progress measurable and its delivery, effective.”
The performance-based contracts, which have been in use for 20 successful years, serve as a tool to assess the performance of every Minister and Principal Secretary, aiming to promote the delivery of quality services to the people of Kenya.
