President William Ruto has urged Cabinet Secretaries to take full accountability for the performance of their ministries, emphasizing that there is no room for excuses in serving the people of Kenya.
Speaking at the Ministerial Performance Contract signing ceremony on Tuesday at State House, Nairobi, Ruto highlighted the importance of responsibility and encouraged the CSs to ensure their actions align with the commitments specified in their performance contracts.
“I expect each CS to take personal responsibility for achieving the targets outlined in their ministry’s contracts. There is no room for excuse, delay, or failure,” Ruto said, adding that accountability must cascade through all levels of government, from ministries to individual officers.
This marks the first signing of contracts of the broad-based government.
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President Ruto further noted that these contracts are action plans for urgent, precise, and efficient execution of government functions.
He made it clear that at the end of the 2025-2026 Financial Year, each CS will receive a performance report card reflecting the achievements and challenges within their ministry.
“These scorecards will ensure that performance contracting is not seen as a meaningless ritual,” Ruto stated, stressing that the assessments will carry clear consequences.
He vowed that the performance report cards would come with both rewards for excellence and corrective action for failure.
“Excellence, integrity, consistency and efficiency will be rewarded while failure, negligence, and misconduct will promptly invite corrective action,” Ruto said.
The President further noted that the process of performance contracting should foster continuous improvement in government service, with a focus on responsiveness, efficiency, and integrity.
He also assured the Cabinet Secretaries that the National Treasury will ensure timely disbursement of funds to avoid delays in service delivery.
“Lack of funds or delay in their release should not be an excuse for failure to serve citizens,” Ruto said.
In a move to improve coordination, Ruto revealed that he had established an office within the Executive Office of the President to oversee performance and service delivery management.
This office will facilitate the quick addressing of inefficiencies and ensure the timely implementation of corrective measures across government departments.
