Saturday, June 9, 2012

Report proposes 14 Cabinet posts in new order


Report proposes 14 Cabinet posts in new order

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file | NATION The Cabinet at a previous session. The number is set to be reduced from the current 42 to at least 14 if proposals of a task force are adopted.
Photo|FILE The Cabinet at a previous session. The number is set to be reduced from the current 42 to at least 14 if proposals of a task force are adopted. 
By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, June 9  2012 at  22:30
The government has given the strongest indication yet on the ministries likely to be merged after the General Election as it seeks to trim the number to as low as 14.
In a new document compiled by a team of civil servants from the Public Service ministry meant to outline operations and staffing of counties, the government has created 10 clusters of departments that show as many as four ministries merged into one.
But it spares four key ministries — Defence, Foreign Affairs, Provincial Administration and Immigration and Registration of Persons — which are proposed to be assigned to the national government.
Under the current Constitution ministries will be known as state departments. The Constitution stipulates that there will be a minimum of 14 state departments and a maximum of 22. Currently, there are 42 ministries.
Government functions
The document proposing modes of devolution of government functions, says each of the departments will be run by a common core staff in a bid to streamline operations.
The move is also meant to abide by the Constitution which states that the number of county executive members shall not exceed 10.
“Each of the departments will be headed by a county secretary who would be nominated by the governor from among persons recommended by the county service public board,” says the Report on Devolved Functions, Structures and Staffing for County Governments dated May 2012.
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According to the report, the departments of Finance and Economic Planning will form one at the county level. The two exist as separate ministries.
County budgets
The department will, among other functions, prepare county budgets and ensure prudent expenditure. Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries have been merged, as have Water Services, Energy, Forestry, Environment and Natural Resources.
The two health ministries – Medical Services and Public Health and Sanitation – are to be merged into the Health Services department.
The most radical and likely controversial change may be at the Education department, which is to include Youth Affairs, Culture, Children and Social Services.
Already, the Education ministry and the Teachers Service Commission have deployed directors to the counties, positions that are likely to be brought to question if the report’s findings are implemented.
If all the departments under each cluster were to appoint directors as Education and TSC have done, the counties would end up with a blotted team of senior officials.
Perhaps sensing the problem, the task force has recommended that the ongoing deployment of staff to counties ahead of the General Election be suspended.
Last July, a circular by then Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura ordered ministries to deploy staff to the counties. Mr Muthaura argued the move would provide an initial staff capacity required to start the establishment of county governments.
But, according to the new report that has been sent to ministries for feedback, the staffing drive exposed serious challenges that showed the need for “comprehensive functional analysis before any further deployment”. (READ: 6,580 staff to be hired for county jobs)
The delay, the report said, “would allow time to determine operational modalities for the out-posted staff including their relationship with existing staffing structures”.
The report warns that the deployment of staff to counties could promote tribalism. “It is important to avoid setting a precedent to the county governments in matters of ethnic distribution where staff would be concentrated in counties of their ethnic origin,” the report says.
According to the document, Lands, Housing and Physical Planning would form one department. Public Service Management will be the department to deal with human resource issues currently done by the Public Service ministry.
Trade, Industrialisation, Cooperative Development, Tourism and Wildlife have all been put together as one department. The task force also isolates Information, Communication and e-Government as one department.
The recommendations were made after current ministries made submissions on how they preferred to devolve their functions. Functions relating to policy were assigned to the national government.
National defence, foreign affairs, provincial administration, immigration and registration of persons have been assigned to the national government.
Community level security
“Social functions which include implementation of policies relating to education, shelter, health care, agriculture and community level security have generally been assigned to the county levels,” the report says.
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A county transition authority is to be formed to manage the transfer of functions from one level of government to the other. The authority is also expected to carry out an audit of the existing staff in the national government and local authorities to advise on their deployment.
“It is the responsibility of the authority to ensure services continue to be provided during the transition,” the report said.

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