NAIROBI, Kenya May 27 – A multi-agency steering committee bringing together national and county governments, the private sector, civil society and development partners has announced that the National Productivity and Performance Conference 2026 will be held from June 17 to 19.
The conference will be held under the theme “Productivity for Fiscal Sustainability and Efficient Service Delivery,” with leaders seeking practical solutions to low productivity, economic inefficiencies and service delivery challenges facing the country.
Speaking during a press briefing, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Chairperson Sammy Chepkwony said Kenya must rethink how public service performance is evaluated.
“The country must now shift from measuring effort to measuring results, from managing processes to managing outcomes, and from rewarding tenure to rewarding productivity and performance,” Chepkwony stated.
He emphasized that improving productivity would require collaboration across all sectors including government, business, academia, civil society and development partners.
“The private sector, the public sector, civil society, development partners, academia — this is a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach,” he said.
According to the SRC, Kenya faces a significant productivity deficit, with the International Labour Organization’s 2025 Productivity Data Report ranking the country 142nd out of 182 nations globally in terms of output.
The committee also raised concern over the country’s public wage bill, which currently stands at 41 percent of national revenue in 2025. Although lower than the 55 percent recorded in 2020, it remains above the 35 percent ceiling set under the Public Finance Management law.
Officials warned that low productivity and high recurrent expenditure continue to affect critical sectors such as healthcare, education and infrastructure development.
Chepkwony said the SRC plans to introduce wage systems directly linked to productivity and performance in a bid to motivate public servants and reduce favoritism within government institutions.
The government also intends to launch National Public Service Productivity and Performance Awards to recognize institutions demonstrating excellence in service delivery.
Francis Meja, who heads the Public Service Commission, noted that private sector employees in Kenya are currently considered more productive than those in the public sector.
“If public servants are more productive, Kenya’s journey to Singapore becomes easy,” Meja said.
He added that higher productivity would drive economic growth, increase incomes and ultimately boost government revenue.
The Council of Governors, represented during the briefing on behalf of CEO Mary Mwiti, stressed that the reforms must be implemented across all county governments to ensure citizens receive efficient, timely and affordable services.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary announced that it has drafted a Public Service Performance Management Bill aimed at providing a legal framework for the reforms.
The committee further announced that President William Ruto is expected to preside over the conference and officially release the National Performance Evaluation Report for Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The report will serve as a scorecard assessing the performance of government institutions during the financial year.
