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No room for failure, Uhuru tells Cabinet

President Kenyatta and his deputy Ruto with Cabinet Secretaries Balala, Ngilu during the retreat in Nanyuki/PSCU

President Kenyatta and his deputy Ruto with Cabinet Secretaries Balala, Ngilu during the retreat in Nanyuki/PSCU

NANYUKI, Kenya, Mar 4 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked Cabinet and Principal Secretaries to focus on serving Kenyans as one Government with a common agenda and agreed priorities.

He said they must ensure clarity, coherence and consistency in planning and in implementation of Government projects.

“Kenyans hunger for better public services. Our promise that we would improve them is one they will long remember. Otherwise they will not forgive us if we fail,” he said.

The President spoke on Tuesday in Nanyuki at the opening of the first retreat of the Jubilee Government for Cabinet and Principal Secretaries. He said the retreat provided an opportunity for Cabinet and Principal Secretaries to review their service delivery and bring onboard new ideas from both the Private and Public Sectors.

President Kenyatta said joint planning was a crucial step in the Government’s common objective of improving the lives of Kenyans.

He reminded the Cabinet and Principal Secretaries to view each success as a collective Government triumph and failure as a collective reproach.

“Together, we must look ahead, identify any risk that might undermine our joint efforts and mitigate them appropriately,” the President said.

Noting that the new Constitution has restructured the governance process, the President said Government officials must be accountable to Kenyans and attend to the changed governance environment by reviewing their performance.

President Kenyatta said time has also come to improve synergy between the arms and institutions of Government.

He urged the Cabinet and Principal Secretaries to reflect on their internal relations with other arms of Government and work in harmony to deliver on the pledges the Jubilee Coalition made to Kenyans.

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“We, whatever our position in national or county governments, serve one people and one nation. We have placed ourselves under a duty to achieve a common, shared vision for Kenya. We cannot – we dare not – allow differences of station or function impede or delay our achievement,” he said.

He said Kenyans granted the Government a mandate to transform the country and Government officials must ensure they do not lose sight of that responsibility.

“Much, therefore, will be required of us. But this is a burden we willingly shouldered. We promised much. This is the time to redeem our promises,” the President said.

As Government identifies and begins to implement its plans for 2014/15 Financial Year, the President said Parliament – particularly the Parliamentary Budget Committee – will be fully involved in the process.

Said the President: “Inclusion is a national value under Article 10 of our new Constitution – and, more immediately, we all know that buy-in by elected officials is vital if we are to achieve our aims.”

Speaking during the occasion, Deputy President William Ruto said the retreat will enable Cabinet and Principal Secretaries to discuss their budget projections which will be used to drive the economy and transform the lives of Kenyans.

The Deputy President observed that within one year of the Jubilee Government, implementation of the new Constitution has been entrenched with every aspect of devolution earnestly taking root.

“We look forward to seeing this team facilitate the pledges the Jubilee Government made to the people of Kenya,” the Deputy President told the Cabinet and Principal Secretaries.

He said this is the year that the Jubilee Government will step up its delivery of services that will ultimately transform the country – PSCU.

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