Cs Speech at Naivasha Retreat (12!08!13)

7/27/2019 Cs Speech at Naivasha Retreat (12!08!13)

1/9

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURALRESOURCES

RETREAT

GREAT RIFT VALLEY LODGE, NAIVASHA,

11TH TO 13TH AUGUST 2013

SPEECH BY PROF. JUDI WAKHUNGU,

CABINET SECRETARY

I am pleased to be here with you today at this important occasion where

we are meeting to chart the way forward for our new revamped Ministry,

as well as to get to know each other and to appreciate each others role

in this Ministry.

As you would be all aware, Executive Order No. 2 of May, 2013 created

one Ministry out of four now defunct Ministries. It is, therefore,

particularly critical at the outset to change our mindset completely: that is

desisting from continuing to cling to our past identities, to that of seeing

and believing ourselves as one. For that is an immutable and

indisputable fact. This requires us, therefore, to identify ourselves as

one team tasked as per the Executive Order to collectively look after our

environment for the sustainable development of our country.


2/9

2

From the presentations and discussions we will engage in the next day

and a half, it will become readily apparent that we have a wealth of

knowledge and a vast reservoir of experience in our Ministry. All that is

required and needed, therefore, is to explore modalities to come up with

action- oriented recommendations on ways and means to deliver as one.

His Excellency the President, on the swearing-in of the Cabinet

Secretaries on 18th May, 2013 stated thus:

Our new constitution clearly stipulates the values and principles

that we need to inculcate, these include:-

Responsive, impartial and equitable provision of services;

Accountability for administrative acts; and

Transparency and provision of timely and accurate information to

the public

My vision is the ultimate realization of a highly effective

Government whose record will be defined by the quality of public

service delivery in terms of accessibility, quality, fairness and

timeliness, as well as entrenching the sovereignty of the citizen as

our customer.


3/9

3

These are potent words and a powerful message for us all. The

challenge for us as a Ministry is, therefore, how do we transform these

principles into expected outcomes?

Firstly, this necessitates a very clear articulation and appreciation of the

role and responsibilities of the Ministry. Secondly, it also requires us to

critically review the mandate and functions of each Department,

conferred by the President, through Executive Order no. 2 of May, 2013

or by statute and evaluate our service delivery standards. Thirdly, it

requires us to respond to these recent developments and emerging

demands entailed in discharging the roles and responsibilities of the

Ministry. The nature of the response and the direction that this change

should take is what we must of necessity take into account.

In my view, the direction that this transformation or change must take

will be influenced by a number of factors:

(1) It will be informed by the views of the Kenyan public and thedemands of our clients to see significant improvement in our

service delivery;

(2) It will be determined by the need to respond to the demands ofthe Constitution and to take cognizance of the provisions of the

Constitution of Kenya in the discharge of our roles and

responsibilities of the Ministry;


4/9

4

(3) It will necessitate an active review of the new laws beingenacted, policy and legal regime which undertakes the functions

and statutory duties of the Ministry;

(4) It will be determined by the need to respond to the ongoinginstitutional reforms, by Government as a whole and as well as

the Semi Autonomous Government institutions (SAGAs) and as

well as in the private sector;

(5) More importantly, it will be informed by our collective experienceand the ways in which we are ready to craft our service delivery

in the face of the high expectations of our clients/ customers and

our stakeholders.

The primary objective of this Retreat is, therefore, to provide a forum for

us to engage, in a robust and very open manner, in an internal evaluation

of how the Ministry currently discharges its roles and responsibilities and

in what ways we are already positioning ourselves to respond to

challenges and demands on our delivery of services, as presented by the

new constitutional framework and the evolving and increasingly complex

legal system. This requires a great deal of introspection, which must be

both honest and open.


5/9

5

Our aim is to develop a roadmap which determines the most appropriate

measures for the Ministry. These should be measures that will appreciate

and build on our past experiences, lessons learnt and successes. It will

capitalise on our existing capabilities and strengths. These are measures

that should take advantage of the opportunities that exist for the Ministry

under the new constitutional dispensation. Indeed, the Constitution of

Kenya, 2010 has created a unique opportunity to rethink the Ministry

and its operations.

More crucially, developing our roadmap requires us to identify the

challenges and limitations that constrain us in effectively and efficiently

discharging our roles and responsibilities, and to determine the

appropriate measures to respond effectively to these challenges. We must

not only recognise, but also address, our weaknesses. We should try and

anticipate any threats and risks that have arisen or may arise in the

evolving context and emerging complexities of the organizational re-

engineering, and consider how to manage these risks and to respond

against threats to our Ministry.

Our introspection, as this is what we must do, should reflect on various

key themes. Permit me to outline some of these again:

1. Institutional review: Is the current institutional/departmental

structures adequate to meet the demands and expectations with regard

to the services that we deliver to the government and to the public? Is


6/9

6

the current institutional structure capable of allowing the Ministry to

respond to the requirements of a devolved governance structure as set

out under the Constitution and the recent Acts of Parliament? Which of

our functions must be devolved? Do we have adequate resources and

infrastructure - the office space, equipment and the staff to effectively

discharge the role of the Ministry under national and county

governments? How we will effectively co-ordinate between headquarters

and the county offices to ensure operational efficiency?

2. Human resource capacity and development: Are our current

human resource levels adequate to meet the demands of existing and

new roles and functions? How do we re-align our human resources

requirements to the emerging demands? What should be the optimal

levels of staffing? How do we tackle the perennial challenge of attracting,

developing and retaining staff with the appropriate competencies and

skills?

3. Operational Efficiency: Are our business processes and

procedures efficient and responsive to our clients needs? What do we

expect our customer satisfaction surveys tell us in the next one year?

Have we reviewed our processes? Have we analyzed the legal and

regulatory frameworks that embed these processes, and if they are what

impede service delivery, what proposals can we make for their review?


7/9

7

I urge the Directors/Heads of Departments to vigorously deliberate on the

key themes that I have outlined. In this way, we will determine and

therefore own the reform agenda. The outcome of this Retreat must be a

clear internal assessment of what we are doing well, what we are not

doing well and must improve on and on what we are not doing yet and

must focus on to ensure quality service delivery.

During this introspection, we must of necessity locate our discussions

within the broader context of our countrys national priorities. The

context, whether political, legal, economic or social, is dynamic. We must

anchor and align our proposed organizational restructuring to the Nations

long-term development strategy as set out in The Constitution ofKenya,

Vision 2030, as well as the Jubilee manifesto.

This Retreat must be an interactive forum for the Directors/Heads of

Departments to reflect on and deliberate on recent developments and

emerging issues that impact on our delivery of services to Kenyans. I,

therefore, look forward to listening to our Directors/Heads of

Departments critical analysis of the current situation, your appreciation of

the demands ad challenges that we must address and your preliminary

reform proposals in relation to your respective mandates and functions.

We will all engage in constructive discussions, whose outcome should be

a set of actionable recommendations with a view to developing a robust

reform agenda to effectively respond to recent developments, demands


8/9

8

and identified challenges. We will no doubt have to consider a range of

options. Some of the options proposed may require further policy

considerations and consultations with the stakeholders.

Ultimately, the end product of this institutional re-structuring of the

Ministry must be aimed at creating an effective, responsive and efficient

Ministry capable of delivering its mandate. This must be based on the

views and contributions, first and foremost of the Directors/Heads of

Departments, all members of staff and also those of our diverse range of

stakeholders. By documenting the outcome of this assessment, we can

articulate a strong agenda for the Ministry and prioritise the

implementation, thereof, in the short, medium and long-term through our

subsequent strategic plan.

In closing, I wish to encourage you to get to know and appreciate each

other; especially outside the confines of the four walls of this conference

room. One of the key objectives of this retreat, is to bond so that as we

go back to our respective offices we can be able to relate to one another

easily and in an open manner. Each one of us has a story to tell; each

one of us is a valuable member of our team, because, ultimately, the

success of Ministry depends on all of us delivering as one.

In conclusion, I would urge you to shed all the shackles and negatives

vestiges of the past that may inhibit our service delivery. We have been

entrusted by the President and People of Kenya to look after our


9/9

9

Environment and our Natural Resources and to provide that conducive

environment that will enable the growth of economy by double digit in a

sustainable manner. This is indeed an onerous task. I am confident that

we shall be able to do so if we deliver our mandate as one united

cohesive team.

It is now my great pleasure to declare this retreat officially open.

I wish us all fruitful deliberations.

I thank you.

Documents

Cs Speech at Naivasha Retreat (12!08!13)