Performance
Kitui County Governor Dr Julius Malombe has signed new Performance Contracts for the 2024/2025 Financial Year the County Executive Committee Members of his Government.
Speaking during the ceremony, Dr. Malombe underscored that signing of the performance contracts marks a significant milestone in the continued commitment to accountability, transparency, and excellence in service delivery to the citizens of the County by the administration.
The Governor affirmed that his government will use the Performance Contracting system as its main systematic approach where the 16-Sector Development priorities outlined in the Governor’s Manifesto dubbed ‘The Kitui Promise’, the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP III), the Annual Development Plan (ADP), the County Fiscal Strategy Paper and the budget allocations for the 2024/2025 Financial Year, will be the key documents for informing the Performance Contracts for this current Financial Year.
“After the signing of the Performance Contracts by the County Executive Committee Members, the Chief Officers, Directors and Municipality Managers will be expected to sign their Performance Contracts immediately, then cascade down to the other officers using Staff Performance Appraisal System”, the county government boss said.
The County Governor further added that every Executive Committee Member will be expected to oversee cascading of Performance Contracting within their Ministries. He noted that the Performance Contracts for the 2024/2025 Financial Year were prepared in collaboration with officers from the State Department for Public Service Performance and Delivery Unit.
The Department usually does all the Performance Contracts for Ministries, Departments and Agencies ofthe National Government. The team from the Public Service Performance and Delivery Unit was led by the Director, Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. John Magua.
Reflecting on the last 2023/2024 financial year, governor Malombe appreciated the exemplary performance and attributed it to dedication demonstrated by all the County Ministries towards the implementation of last year’s Performance Contracts which led to effective and efficient service delivery to the residents of Kitui County.
He further said that Institutionalization of performance contracting within the public service of Kitui County has enabled his government to implement a number of impactful projects, such as the Ministry of Education was able to construct 40 ECDE classrooms benefitting 1,400 learners, thus achieving the target as the Ministry had set a target of constructing 40 ECDE classrooms which was achieved.
On water security, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation was able to rehabilitate 64 boreholes benefitting over 32,000 people. The ministry had set a target of rehabilitating at least 40 boreholes which were surpassed. This year the ministry has set a target of rehabilitating 40 boreholes.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock was able to establish 13 demo farms for pasture promotion benefitting 325 households. The set target was eight (8) demo farms and this financial year, they have set a target of establishing 13 demo farms.
Similarly, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation was able reduce the rate of HIV/AIDs prevalence from 3.3% to 3.1% within the County. This was achieved through improvement of 1stto 4th antenatal care visits which aid in early detection and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.
The office of the Governor was able to implement 281projects under Community Level Infrastructure Development Programme (CLIDP), benefiting the entire County populace. This financial year the set The target for the CLIDP is 305 projects.
The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Youth, ICT, Sports & Social Services was able to empower our youth with digital literacy skills through equipping the four (4) ICT Centres with computers and other networking devices benefitting 1,500 youth with digital skills.
“The achievement was realized through partnership with American Tower Corporation to establish a digital community centre aimed at fostering training in ICT. The set target for the last financial year was three (3) to benefit 1,000 youth. This year they have set a target of equipping 15 ICT Centres,” Malombe observed.
He observed that workload in the 2024/2025 financial year, the bar has been set high and extra efforts are needed to ensure success. The governor disclosed that this year, their performance contracts will incorporate a new and vital component of Productivity Mainstreaming.
“This indicator, as guided by the declaration of the 3rd National Wage Bill Conference held from 15th to 17th April, 2024 at the Bomas of Kenya, will ensure that our targets are aligned with measurable outputs and outcomes”, said the governor.
He called all the county’s 16 sector Ministries to tabulate their productivity index using their productivity measurement data that will be guided by various parameters aligned to the Ministry’s mandate.
“Inclusion of productivity mainstreaming as an indicator in our performance contracts for the 2024/2025 financial year is a testament to our commitment in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. It is imperative that we not only aim for high performance but also ensure that our efforts translate into tangible benefits for our people”, he said while urging his workers to embrace this new approach.
The Governor also reminded the county employees that by the end of the current financial year, the best performing Ministries will be rewarded and the poor performers, especially those that consecutively perform poorly will be sanctioned.
During the occasion, Dr. Malombe reiterated his commitment to uphold the principles of good governance, accountability and responsiveness. “Our collective commitment to these values will be the driving force behind our success in the coming year,” he noted.