GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 8975

Under the Constitution, the public service has specific obligations whose objective is to provide a solid base for the effective and 5716 5716 efficient delivery of public services. One of these foundations is expressed in terms of the values and principles as articulated in Articles 10 and 232 of the Constitution. The evaluation on the extent to which the public service has complied with these values and principles provides a mechanism for confirming the progress realized in the fulfillment of the obligations. The report has analyzed the current situation for the values and principles and the actions taken by the Board to increase the levels of compliance. Findings in this evaluation report show that, during the period under review, the County Government continued to realize considerable levels of compliance. While the County has made great efforts in improvement of levels of compliance with values and principles, there is still a lot to be done. The Board would wish to request for co-operation from various arms of the County Government in the journey of promoting values and principles. I take this opportunity to thank the County Executive, with the leadership of H.E the Governor, and the County Assembly for their unwavering efforts in instilling a culture of continuous improvement on compliance with values and principles in the County Government of Kitui. FLORENCE M. MAKINDI, Chairperson, Kitui County Public Service Board. CHAPTER ONE—THE EXTENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH VALUES AND PRINCIPLES Preface This chapter enumerates the activities that demonstrate the extent to which the values and principles referred to in Articles 10 and 232 are complied with in the County public service. It also explains the actions taken by the Board in the promotion of the specific values and principles. The Extent of Compliance 2.1 Article 10: National Values And Principles of Governance (a) Patriotism, National Unity, Sharing and Devolution of Power, the Rule of Law, Democracy and Participation of the People Situational Analysis The County Government has been unable to meet the 30% requirement on ethnic minority which could have enhanced National unity. This has been due to the region being a hardship area and as a result not attractive to job seekers from other parts of Kenya. Political ethnic profiling has also contributed to people tending to serve in their ethnic backyards, this has resulted to more officers requesting for transfer of services to other counties. Action Taken The Board continues to advocate for patriotism and as a result, County colours and symbols are incorporated in all official County documents, information, education and communication materials, projects’ branding, directional signage to County offices and painting of County Government buildings. The National and the County flags are being hoisted within the County Government offices and singing of National and County anthems is highly emphasised. The County Government continues to participate in National holidays while ensuring that County offices have portraits of the President of the Republic of Kenya. The Board has, and continues to draw the attention of the County employees to the documents uploaded on the County website which include the Constitution of Kenya 2010, Kitui County Human Resource and Procedures Manual 2018 and other relevant laws. The Board continues to encourage job applications from all parts of the Country through making advertisement of job opportunities in high circulating National newspapers and in Kitui County Website (a standard policy). The Board has always advocated for better working conditions for all employees across the County. It in this year that, the Board recruited the first lot of County Directors among other posts that were not in the Kitui County Public Service. Democracy and participation of the people has been and continues to be realised through policy formulation forums; the education forums, public participation on Finance Bill and other stakeholder consultative meetings on development which are highly publicised. The County Government has developed a program for Community Level Infrastructure Development where each Ward is allocated a certain budget for activities they consider important through public participation forums. (b) Human Dignity, Equity, Social Justice, Inclusiveness, Equality, Human Rights, Non-discrimination and Protection of the Marginalised Situational Analysis Review on the compliance regarding human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination and protection of the marginalised was not done during this calendar year (2021), the new Board was sworn in towards the middle of the year (30th April, 2021) and had a backlog of work to dispense. However, from the 2020 calendar year review, the social amenities within the County Government offices were still deficient. Some ablution blocks were lacking gender labels. Analysis of the composition of the County public service was done. It was established that the legal requirements for youth and gender in appointments had been met; however, there is still need for concerted effort to address the requirements for persons with disability and the marginalised. Action Taken The County Government to constructing more ablution blocks in public places like markets, schools, offices and bus parks and create awareness to the general public to construct pit latrines in their homes in an effort to ensure that Kitui County realise zero open defecation to promote human dignity. The Board is fully committed to continuous monitoring of compliance to ensure that the ratio of male to female employees remains within the constitutional threshold. The Board has liaised with the National Association of Persons with Disability to keep them abreast with all the adverts in an effort to bridge the gap of meeting the constitutional threshold on recruitment of persons with disability. The Board has enhanced the methods of advertising for job vacancies, including use of County Website, social platforms and distributing copies of the adverts through County Administration (Ward and Village Administrators) to ensure that more potential applicants from all regions get the information and in good time. Affirmative action is being undertaken to address the disadvantaged groups such as minority ethnic communities in the County, (e.g. the Tharaka, Arab, Somali, Muslim) persons with disabilities, youth and women. Universal Health Coverage programme (Afya bora); H.E the Governor has partnered with National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to ease health expenses incurred by Kitui people, where the County Government is Selecting one person per Household to be registered with NHIF and pay the half year amount while the rest is paid by the County Government of Kitui, thus improving the citizens’ access to timely and affordable healthcare at such a time the Covid 19 pandemic has invaded our Country. The County is mainstreaming HIV/AIDS, gender and disability in implementing various policies as can be reflected in the segmentation of County contracts and also in appointments. The County Government is working with development partners and faith based organizations such as Centre for Health Solutions, Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) to address HIV/AIDS among other health care issues. The County Government has continued to prioritise projects on water such as roof water harvesting systems (Water Tanks), drilling of bore holes, construction / De- silting of earth and sand dams as well as water reservoirs to ensure that County residents, especially those in arid and marginalised regions, have access to portable water for drinking and other purposes. (c) Good Governance, Integrity, Transparency and Accountability 29th July, 2022 THE KENYA GAZETTE Situational Analysis County Ministries/Departments have developed service charters in both English and Kiswahili versions. The mechanisms for monitoring integrity, transparency and accountability in the County public service are in place. Action Taken The Board has advised on the need to implement the service charters fully. The complaints handling procedure has been streamlined in the County Government and employees have been sensitised on complaints handling. There are suggestion boxes in every Ministry for officers and general public to channel their grievances. In order to enhance transparency and accountability, each project goes through the process of public participation to ensure involvement of the people in development issues. (d) Sustainable Development Situational analysis Kitui County Integrated Development Plan (KCIDP), which highlights the development needs of the County, has continuously guided the County development projects. The development projects contained in this document have been evaluated based on their sustainability. As a result, the projects initiated are considered viable and sustainable. Action taken The County Government continues to implement projects in compliance with the KCIDP which is modelled on the Kenya Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The County Public Service Board has successfully continued to provide the human resource necessary for the implementation of planned activities. Food and water, health, education, youth and women empowerment and wealth creation are the five pillars of H.E the Governor’s manifesto meant to not only spur the growth of the County economy but also improve the citizens’ livelihoods. The County Government has established Kitui County Textile Centre (KICOTEC); the first ever garment factory by a County Government in Kenya. The facility has employed over 300 youths from the County. The factory targets income from local and national productions that will play a key role in boosting the economy. The gains from KICOTEC will support other services of the county like provision of clean water, affordable healthcare and education. Owing to the success of the pilot KICOTEC factory, the County Government is in the process of establishing two more branches. The County Government has established a Kitui County Development Centre (KICOYDEC), the Centre Manufacture Construction Materials such as Cabros, Interlocking stabilised soil blocks, Fencing Posts, Roads carbs, U-drain channels, Mark posts and Baluster (Balcony stand) to help realize H.E the Governor’s manifesto pillar on youth and women empowerment as well as wealth creation. In the wake of Covid 19 pandemic, the County under Ministry of Health has also established Kitui Pharma Industries which major on certain disinfectants such as Hand sanitizers, Hand wash, Jink (Bleach and coloured), Formalin (for Kitui County Morgues), Fumigants for Corona Virus and Methylated Spirit. This has created job opportunities for Kitui Youth as well as promoting public health in major towns of Kitui County, this has reduced the number of people conducting Covid 19 Virus in the County. The County Government has also established the Kitui Food Industries, a Value Addition Plant for Milk and some fruits, Milk is processed to Yoghurts and Ice-creams, Mango fruits to Mango Juice and Tomatoes to Tomato paste. This has empowered Kitui youth and women as well as creating employment and wealth for the County. The County has established ternary (Leather Industry) for making of leather shoes and sporting balls, the industry has created employment for many youth as well as promoting sporting activities in the County as the local football clubs can acquire several balls locally at a subsidised price. The County has established empowerment fund by the name Kitui County Empowerment Fund (KCEF) which targets youth, women Persons with Disability (PWDs) and general public with a special interest on youth, Women and PWDs. They are encouraged to form Groups, Community Based Organisations (CBO) and Co-operatives so as to benefit from the funds, the fund has helped realization of manifesto pillar on youth, women and other disadvantaged group empowerment. The County Government organised an exhibition to show case all the products from Government supported institutions in Kitui County and were also displayed during the 7th Annual Devolution Conference held at Makueni County in the month of November to boost marketing for sustainability purposes. 2.2 ARTICLE 232: VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC SERVICE (a) High Standards of Professional Ethics Situational Analysis Standards of professional ethics were evaluated on the basis of code of conduct and ethics for officers in the public service; training for skills development; membership to professional bodies and declaration of income, assets and liabilities. There was moderate compliance with professional ethics following continuous sensitization workshops and training. Action taken Sensitisation programmes on values and principles aimed at creating awareness, development of teamwork, improvement of service delivery and overall culture change in the County public service were undertaken. To increase access to knowledge on the officers’ professionalism, the Board has been drawing the attention of the County Government employees to the relevant legislations and laws which have been uploaded to the County website. (b) Responsive, Prompt, Effective, Impartial and Equitable Provision of Services Situation Analysis The Board established that service delivery had not reached satisfactory standards as a result of slow integration of officers having been drawn from diverse organizational culture and work ethics. Action taken The Board has been undertaking sensitization workshops on values and principles of public service aimed at transformative leadership, development of teamwork and improvement of service delivery and overall culture change in the public service. County Ministries/Departments have been encouraged to hold regular management and staff meetings to enhance effectiveness and teamwork in the provision of public services. The County Government has continued the use of Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), where all financial transactions are processed using the system. This has enhanced the speed of service delivery. The Board undertakes mystery shopping to assess the quality of services offered in the County public service. (c) Fair competition and merit as the basis of appointments and promotions Situation Analysis Appointments and promotions were and continue to be guided by meritocracy and fair competition. They are also guided by other legal provisions such as the need to include communities not adequately represented in appointments to or promotions in the public service, the balance of gender; consideration of minority ethnic groups; and persons living with disabilities. Action Taken As at 30th November, 2021, the County Public Service Board had employed a total of 51 female officers representing 54% of the total 5718 5718 staff appointed. The male appointed officers were 44, representing 46%. The County Public Service Board has engaged 1 person living with disability. The Board has enhanced its recruitment process to adequately capture data on persons living with disability. The Board continues to encourage them to apply for advertised positions, and also register with the Association for persons living with disability. The Board has made 19 (20%) appointments from outside Kitui County. Meritocracy continues to be the guiding principle in the recruitment process and applicants are accorded equal opportunity. Some officers due for promotion based on meritocracy and the provisions of various schemes of service were promoted. CHAPTER TWO—IMPEDIMENTS IN THE PROMOTION OF VALUES AND PRINCIPLES The Board encountered various challenges in ensuring that values and principles were upheld. These included— (a) Kitui County has low internet connectivity, making the officers especially those working outside the County Headquarters unable to effectively communicate and access internet; (b) Insufficient public awareness on the role of citizens in governance and therefore low citizen participation in development issues; (c) Inadequate knowledge on the constitutional provisions on devolution and other relevant legislations among public officers; (d) Inadequate budgetary allocation to enhance the promotion of values and principles; (e) Frequent power outages within the County; (f) High expectation of the public in securing jobs with the County due to high rate of unemployment in the Country and the available few job opportunities; (g) Officers from outside the County requesting for inter-county transfers and declining positions in Kitui owing to the vastness of the county, semi-arid climate, insecurity, the difficult terrain thus crushing efforts towards patriotism, national unity and inclusiveness; and (h) Persons with disabilities and other special groups not applying for positions in the County while those that apply fail to indicate their status. Many officers and candidates with disabilities are yet to register with the relevant body. CHAPTER THREE—PLANNED PROGRAMS IN UNDERTAKING PROMOTION OF VALUES AND PRINCIPLES 1. Attend benchmarking exercise at Makueni County on promotion of values and principles; 2. Develop, produce and distribute more information, education and communication material on values and principles in Kitui County; 3. Sensitization workshops on values and principles; 4. Induct new staff with regard to values and principles; 5. Monitor compliance with the values and principles; 6. Advise the County Government on its obligations under international treaties and conventions on need basis; 7. Recruit the required personnel for the full implementation of KCIDP; 8. Finalize Recruitment process for November advert; and 9. Advocate and lead in the finalization of staff establishment to ensure that any recruitment is within optimal staffing level. CHAPTER FOUR—RECOMMENDATIONS The Board recommendations are as follows: (a) Partnering with the County Assembly for public awareness creation on the role of citizens in governance and the need for full participation in development agenda and activities and employment creation; (b) Facilitation in creation of an enabling environment for the exploitation of natural resources to create jobs for Kitui County residents; (c) Observation of OSHA guidelines in public offices; (d) Provision of adequate budgetary allocation to carry out activities that enhance promotion of values and principles in the County public service; (e) Establishing points for public services at Huduma Centre; (f) Establishment of Public Service Centres at every Sub County headquarter; (g) Partnering with Internet service providers for better internet connectivity; and (h) Decentralization of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities offices for easy access of its services. CONCLUSION The County public service registered substantial levels of compliance with the values and principles referred to in Articles 10 and 232 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. However, there is still room for improvement in order to ensure that citizens of Kitui County fully benefit from the gains envisaged by the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The Board appreciates the co-operation accorded by the office of the Governor, the office of the County Secretary, County Ministries/Departments and Sub County Administration during evaluation of the extent to which values and principles have been complied with in Kitui County public service. Further, the Board appreciates the members of the Kitui County Assembly for the oversight role and their periodic advisories towards ensuring compliance with the values and principles. MR/3882931