Deputy Chief of Staff for Performance and Delivery Management Eliud Owalo has issued a stern warning to underperforming public institutions.

Addressing the press, Owalo noted that it is high time public institutions are held accountable since they are solely funded by hardworking taxpayers. He explained that all levels of personnel starting from the CEO to heads of department will be put to task over their performances in a move meant to improve service delivery.

While highlighting the imporatance of efficient service delivery, the former ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) emphasized that the government will now tie performance evaluation to reward management, in that institutions that excel in their fields will be rewarded accordingly, whereas those that fail in their mandated roles will face sanctions.

Go hard or go home

He additionally pointed out that every institution must justify its existence adding that those frequently flagged for underperformance should be allowed to die.

“Organisations in the public sector are financed through the exchequer and because we are utilising public funds to execute our mandate, we must also be accountable to the Kenyan people and that is what we need to do at all levels, starting with the CEO, heads of departments upto individuals, everybody in the public service is going to be held accountable.

“Moving forward, we also want to tie performance evaluation to rewarding management to the extent that those institutions that excel in performance or exceed in the set target will be rewarded through the necessary support including but not limited to additional funding by the exchequer, but equally those institutions and organisations that are not performing will face sanctions, including individuals who are in those organisations; organisations which are perpetual non-performers should be allowed to die their natural deaths, gone are the days when we kept on pumping money to organisations which are not performing. It does not make sense, either you justify your existence or face closure,” he said.