NAIROBI — The Kenyan government has embarked on a productivity mainstreaming training program in various institutions to foster a culture of productivity in the public service. This initiative is part of the performance targets set for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across the country, forming a critical component of the public sector’s Performance Contracting (PC) for the 2023/24 financial year.

According to Kenya News Agency, the program, officially launched on Monday by Principal Secretary in the Cabinet Office Dr. Idris Salim Dokota, aims to enhance productivity in the public sector, which is anticipated to spur economic growth. Dokota stated during the opening of the training at the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) that the training is essential for operational efficiency, labor efficiency, and customer satisfaction in the public sector.

The National Productivity and Competitiveness Centre (NPCC) in the State Department for Labour and Skills Development, Ministry of Labour and Social protection, is spearheading the trainings. The focus is on managing the government’s ballooning wage bill, which currently stands at 46 percent of the ordinary revenue, well above the recommended 35 percent.

Dr. Dokota emphasized the importance of productivity enhancement in the public sector as a measure to address the wage bill challenge. The training, he noted, would assist various institutions in developing labor productivity metrics based on Quality, Cost, and Delivery (QCD), collect and analyze data, and design productivity improvement strategies.

Jane Maina from NPCC elaborated that the training adopts a multi-agency approach and is vital for developing a culture of productivity in work ethics and environment. She mentioned that the labor productivity in Kenya, compared to other African countries, is lower, citing the 2022 Conference Board Total Data Base which showed Kenya’s labor productivity at 14,096 US dollars annually, significantly lower than Egypt’s 62,560 USD.

The training, hosted at KIST, includes teams from various institutions, focusing on developing productivity metrics at the activity level. After metric development, organizations are expected to collect data for computation of a productivity index.

Dr. Dokota called on participants to be champions of productivity within their MDAs, contributing to the government’s vision of a more productive and efficient governance system. He encouraged them to translate the knowledge gained into tangible action, aligning with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

The training is conducted under the stewardship of the Productivity Mainstreaming Technical Committee, with support from several state departments and agencies.