Nakuru County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo has advised departmental heads to tap in-house civil service expertise and cease outsourcing services to expensive private firms.

He noted that, by doing so, they will increase the effectiveness of public service and trim their bulging wage bill.  Speaking when he chaired a County Service Delivery Committee (CSDC) meeting at the regional commissioner’s plenary hall, Kitiyo said Kenya has a highly functional civil service with a good capacity to engage in strategic thinking.

Best specialists

“The civil service has, across its ranks, the best specialists such as engineers, quantity surveyors, economists, physical planners, educationists, doctors, human resource managers and information officers. There should be collaboration across all departments in obtaining such expertise instead of contracting outsiders,” he said.

While urging civil servants to offer quality services and efficiency, the administrator asked them to be “innovative, prudent and resourceful” to enable the Kenya Kwanza government to fulfil its promises.

The County Service Delivery Committee, he said, is mandated to monitor and play an oversight role in projects funded by the Exchequer.

Kitiyo also cited the Companies (Beneficial Ownership Information, Amendment) Regulations 2022, which requires parties to provide beneficial information in public procurement, assets disposal and public-private partnerships.                                    – KNA