Archives October 2020

The Ministry of Public Service and Gender in collaboration with UN Women and the Government of Finland today held a high-level meeting in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The virtual meeting which was attended by Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Gender, Prof. Margaret Kobia, UN Women Country Representative, Ms. Anna Mutavati and Finland Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Amb. Erik Lundberg, sought to assess the progress on the implementation of UNSCR 1325; highlight the role of women in peacebuilding and women leadership in conflict resolutions.

20 years ago, the UN Resolution affirmed the importance of the participation of women in peace negotiations, humanitarian planning, peace-keeping operations, and post-conflict peacebuilding and governance. The resolution recognized that conflicts affect women differently and addressing the needs, views and participation of women is a positive peace dividend.

However, despite all these resolutions and important gains that have been made since the adoption of UNSCR 1325, there still exists a major gap between the intended and expected results and the reality on the ground. There is an urgent need the world over for more concerted effort to facilitate women involvement in peacemaking, peacebuilding and peacekeeping to realize sustainable global peace.

In her address, Prof. Kobia noted that Kenya is making steady progress towards equal participation in peace and security matters and highlighted the recent appointment to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. “Kenya will seize this window of opportunity to ensure women are at the core of peace and security agenda,” she said.

However, the Cabinet Secretary acknowledged that Kenya is still grappling with challenges and that the inclusion of more women in peacebuilding processes still remains an uphill task. She called on for more strengthened efforts towards inclusion and also the prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a reported increase in domestic and intimate partner violence. The national GBV helpline 1195 recorded a 33.7% increase by end of March and hit 50% by June.

UN Country Representative, Ms. Anna Mutavati recognized Kenya’s commitment to advancing the women, peace and security agenda and noted the adoption of the Ministry of Defence’s first Gender Policy which she said has contributed to an increase in women’s meaningful and effective participation in decision making. “I am pleased with the appointment of women in senior ranks such as the first female Major General in Kenya, Fatima Ahmed,” said the UN Representative.

The Finland Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Erik Lundberg pledged the support of Finland in the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda and the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. The Ministry of Public Service and Gender in collaboration with UN Women and the Government of Finland and the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government implemented the first Kenya National Action Plan on 1325 (KNAP I) in 2016 and recently launched KNAP II in May 2020. KNAP II reaffirms women’s right to participate in all aspects of peace and security in Kenya as a means of promoting sustainable, transformative, and prosperous peace and development in Kenya.

Also present at the event was Special Envoy, Women Peace and Security, African Union, Mme. Bineta Diop; Chief Administrative Secretary, Hon. Rachel Shebesh, Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Ababu Namwamba; Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Amb. Hussein Dado, Governor Kericho County, Prof. Paul Chepkwony and Principal Secretary, Prof. Collette Suda among others.

By Maurice Goga and Jacqueline Kirimi

Cabinet Secretary, Prof. Margaret Kobia on Monday 26th October, 2020 presided over the launch of Boda Boda Safety Association Kenya (BAK) Women Chapter an Association that seeks to improve the welfare of Boda Boda women entrepreneurs through training on road safety, social-economic empowerment and security.

Prof. Kobia applauded the women who she noted have taken a bold step to venture into the motorcycle business which is perceived to be a male-dominated field. “I congratulate the women in Boda Boda business for taking a bold step to transform their lives for better by exploiting motorcycle business opportunities. We celebrate these hard-working women who have proved that they can work and excel in a male-dominated field,” she said.

Prof. Kobia commended the Boda Boda Safety Association (BAK) for the inclusion of women in the sector, “as the Ministry in-charge of gender affairs that advocates for equal opportunities for both men and women, I am pleased to see the inclusion of women in this growing sector,” she said.

The Cabinet Secretary committed to support the women entrepreneurs through Women Enterprise Fund loans to enable them to expand their businesses and appealed to them to support the government in fighting against Gender-Based Violence, Teenage pregnancies, Female Genital Mutilation, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders present during the launch included Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs Nadia Abdalla, UNFPA Country Representative, Dr. Ademola Olajide, CEO Taxiye, CEO ICL Africa, Eve Maina, Chairperson BAK, Mr. Kevin Mubadi among other officials.

By Maurice Goga

Needy students in various parts of the country will receive various items in support of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic which will be provided by the National Youth Service (NYS). The items which will be donated will include face masks, girls’ dignity kits, hand sanitizers, bar soaps, buckets and jerricans.

In her address during the flagging off ceremony of the first consignment held on Thursday 22nd October, 2020 at NYS Headquarters in Ruaraka, Cabinet Secretary, Prof. Margaret Kobia recognized the need to support needy students now that there has been a partial reopening of schools.

“There are some areas in this country where a parent affording a mask for his or her child going to school is a problem so this donation by NYS is timely. She thanked the institution for being on the forefront in the fight against the pandemic through mass production of masks and the provision of other critical services.

NYS Council Lt Gen. (Rtd) Njuki Mwaniki and NYS Director-General Matilda Sakwa who were present reiterated the institution’s commitment to public service and said that the institution will continue to explore ways to serve to the best of its capacity during the pandemic.

Since the outbreak, NYS has been involved in the transportation of passengers from the airport, guarding isolation centres and cessation areas, renovation of Mbagathi Hospital to accommodate more patients and distribution of masks to needy Kenyans.

By Brian Were

Over the years, Kenya’s public service has been viewed as slow in service delivery and basically reluctant to change and improvement. However, contrary to this view, the current public service is undergoing immeasurable number of reforms, as the Principal Secretary for State Department for Public Service, Mrs. Mary Kimonye explained to MyGov’s Michael Okidi in an interview, excerpts of which are reproduced here.

In the structure of Government, what function does the State Department for Public Service play?

The State Department for Public Service provides strategic leadership and policy direction in Public Service Management, Human Resource Management and Performance Management. The State Department provides policy advisory and guidelines that propels the Public Service in Kenya to deliver efficient, effective and ethical services to citizens.

Historically, it has been at the center of government since independence. From 1963 to 2006 as the Directorate of Personnel Management in the Office of the President; from 2006 to 2013 as the Ministry of State for Public Service in the Office of the President and later in the Office of the Prime Minister; from 2013

to 2018, it was restructured as the Directorate of Public Service Management in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning. Then in the Executive restructuring of 2018 it was established as the State Department for Public Service and Youth under the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender.

It gained its present structure following the reorganization of National Government vide Executive Order No. 1 of May 2020, which placed it as a State Department under the Ministry of Public Service and Gender.

As the oversight agency for the entire civil service, it would seem to play a very significant role in government. More specifically, what is your mandate?

The State Department consists of several units that facilitate the management of the entire public service body as we know it.

First, there is the Public Service Performance Management and Monitoring Unit, which manages Performance Contracting in all the ministries, departments and state agencies. Second, we have the Human Resource Management Policy Unit, which manages the entire human resource function within Government in terms of policy direction. Third, there is the Human Resource Development Unit that deals with matters of capacity building, training and development of the human resources within the public sector. We have the Public Service Management Advisory Services that advises public sector entities on reforms and transformation, organizational structure, job analysis and evaluation, payroll management as well as how to mainstream research and innovations.

Then there is the Counselling unit which has overall responsibility for the coordination and management of psychological counseling services across the entire public service sector. Besides these functional units, the State Department also oversights three Government agencies: the National Youth Service that offers para-military and community service training to our youth, The Kenya School of Government whose mandate is to offer management training, research, consultancy, and advisory services to the public sector and finally the Huduma Kenya Programme, which acts as the face of Government services and ensures government services are accessible and effectively delivered to wananchi across the country.

You have been talking about public service reform as a priority in your administration. What reforms have you undertaken so far?

Since the start of the Jubilee administration, the reform agenda has been extensive. Most notable is the Huduma Kenya Programme which is a one-stop-shop for government service delivery, now firmly established in all the counties. In essence automation has been a key reform driver with recent reforms including operationalization of a Unified Payroll Number (UPN) system that uniquely identifies and tracks public servants from entry to exit. Government Human Resource Information System (GHRIS) has consolidated all human resource functions and processes. The department has also automated the Performance Contracting, Monitoring and Evaluation cycle which was previously a manual system. Records has also been digitized.

We have been adaptive and responsive as needs have arisen. For instance we have developed and operationalized guidelines on alternative work arrangements including working from home to ensure continued government business during COVID-19 pandemic. Simply put, reform and transformation is part of the DNA of the State Department.

A mention of Government Human Resource Information Systems creates a picture of a public service that has gone digital. To what extent has this digitization been successful?

The State Department spearheaded development of the Government Human Resource Information System (GHRIS) from the year 2012.

GHRIS has automated HR functions and services from recruitment to separation including generation of payroll numbers for new employees in Ministries/Departments and County Governments. The system has also automated the Performance Appraisal System.

GHRIS has consolidated the entire human resource data in the Public Service and interfaced the data with other Government systems such as Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), Pension Management Information System (PMIS), iTax, Teachers Service Commission Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS), among others

Not very long ago, some public sub sectors, especially former local authorities, were found to condone the existence of ghost workers in their payrolls. Can you say the introduction of the GHRIS and payroll management systems have eliminated this vice?

The Integrated Payroll & Personnel Database (IPPD) is a computerized system which is used by Ministries/ Departments, Counties and Government Agencies to process their payrolls. The IPPD system has enhanced accountability in payroll management since erroneous entries can easily be attributed to an individual officer with 100% certainty.

The Department undertakes regular upgrading of IPPD System. The state department also undertakes regular payroll audit for Ministries/Departments and Counties

with a view to identifying any irregularities on the set human resource rules and procedures. Irregularities include unauthorized payments and presence of ghost workers. The objective of the payroll audits is to improve compliance with effective payroll management.

Further to this, the State Department has developed and implemented the Unified Payroll Number (UPN) System. This system enables employees to have only one identifier throughout their stay in the public service and therefore prevents double allocation of payroll numbers and eliminates the possibility of employees to be in multiple payrolls.

You mentioned counseling as one of the sub-sectors within your mandate. Now, in the face of the Corona virus pandemic, what service do you have for public servants affected by Covid-19?

His Excellency the President directed that we assess, diagnose and manage the mental well-being of public servants, especially those affected or in the frontline of tackling Covid-19. The state department has provided tele-guidance/counseling services, and psychological First Aid (PFA) to public servants as first responders.

The state department also established counseling outreach programs in the counties. For sustainability and wider reach, we identified and capacity-built Public Service Mental Health Champions in Ministries/ Departments equipping them with essential counseling skills. We are conducting mental health screening/ assessment/survey and establishing a mental health wellbeing dashboard for effective monitoring and evaluation.

There have been complaints of certain cadres of civil servants getting faster promotions than others. Are these complaints legitimate and if so, is the State Department doing anything in mitigation?

The state department has developed new guidelines for career management in the Service in consultation with Public Service Commission and other stakeholders. This was done on the basis of job families to ensure uniformity in their implementation. We have also identified cadres without schemes of service and developed their career guidelines accordingly. This has been extended to the counties to ensure that standards for selection, recruitment and advancement are maintained across board.

On Huduma centers, what milestones can you say have been achieved through this relatively new service delivery system?

Since its formation in 2013 the programme has expanded to all the counties with 52 centres in total. In the seven years of its existence the programme has managed to serve a total of 51 million customers. It has established several service channels to reach wananchi where they reside. There is Huduma Mashinani – a mobile outreach programme that brings services to the grassroots; Huduma Contact Centre whereby citizens can call in and enquire about government services; and Huduma Mobile Application that allows citizens to access government services from the convenience of their mobile devices. We are realizing the concept of Huduma Popote through digitization and automation.

We recently launched the Service by Appointment (SBA), which enables citizens to make online booking of services well in advance wherever they are, and only come to the centre at the appointed hour. We are soon rolling out a new online document tracking solution, which will enable citizens track the status of their documents without having to make several visits to centers.

Huduma Kenya has transformed how government services are offered and has enhanced the trust between citizens and government. It is a most trusted customer-centric public service brand with a satisfaction level of 95 – 97% as per the last survey conducted.

The centers have started online bookings for services. What is your early bird assessment of this system?

Our early assessment of the Service by Appointment system, is that it will enable us to manage the high numbers of citizens visiting the centers. It will also reduce the waiting time for services while ensuring adherence to COVID-19 protocols. The pilot at GPO Huduma Centre has been successful. The Centre serves an average of 5,000 citizens daily, and the system has helped to eliminate the crowds and long queues that were the norm.

The Kenya School of Government is another agency under your department. What role does it play in Public Service Management?

The School is responsible for capacity development of public servants through training, policy research and consultancy services. In the school, public servants acquire leadership and management competencies that contribute to improved performance and productivity.

This is evident through continuous adoption of best practice in all the spheres of the service including performance management system; strategic plans, innovative service delivery and business process re-engineering.

Public officers upon training are able to drive positive change and enhance efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. Training in public administration contributes to reduction of resource waste, red tape, duplication of roles and skills misalignment. The school serves as a knowledge management institution for public servants.

The National Youth Service (NYS) has undergone changes under its new council. In respect to this, what achievements have been registered by the service, in terms of community service projects and programmes.

Part of the NYS mandate is to undertake national development tasks and assist in national emergencies. Some of the national tasks that NYS has taken part in include locust control and rehabilitation of the old railway line running from Nairobi to Nyahururu to Nanyuki as well as rehabilitation of the Kisumu Port.

The service has also been active in the containment and mitigation of COVID-19 providing security and logistical support to the containment efforts. It has stitched over one million masks for distribution to the vulnerable population, and installed water tanks and provided water and soap in strategic areas in informal settlements. The service has re-invented itself under an independent oversight council and the past negative image and reputation of the service has changed. I am confident that it will continue to churn out patriotic, disciplined and committed youth ready to serve their country.

As published in MyGov, 20th October, 2020

This year’s Day of the Girl national celebrations was held on 15^th October, 2020 in Sololo Primary School, Marsabit County under the theme “My Voice, Our Equal Future.” The event was presided over by the Chief Administrative Secretary, Hon. Rachel Shebesh and acted as a platform to highlight the challenges of the girl child in modern society.

The International Day of the Girl is marked annually on 11^th October to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

This year’s celebration focused on addressing their demand to live a life free from gender-based violence, harmful cultural practices and HIV and AIDS.

The event was hosted by the Anti-FGM Board in collaboration with the Marsabit County Government and the Borana Council of Elders, highlighted the needs to safeguard the rights of the girl child and provide them with equal opportunities to prosper and achieve their potential.

Girls empowerment was lauded as the precursor for accelerated national development and social cohesion as they constitute over 50 per cent of the world’s population. Speakers stressed the need to have girls protected from increased cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and teenage pregnancies.

The Chief Administrative Secretary urged the local community to shun FGM and maintained that the outlawed practice infringes on the rights of girls and women and is not a religious rite of passage and instead blamed retrogressive cultural practices as the reason the harmful practice is rampant in the county.

In her keynote address, the Chief Administrative Secretary, welcomed the declaration made by 41 Gumi Gayo, a Borana Council of Elders who renounced the practice of FGM. 

“I am impressed by the move made by the Borana Council of Elders today to renounce FGM. We appreciate this as we all put our best foot forward in support of H.E. President, Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive to end FGM by 2022,” she said.

Hon. Shebesh called upon the elders to help in cascading down the President’s directive to the grassroots level with a renewed focus on elimination of the outlawed practice. “I want to appeal to you the elders present here today to help us in cascading the President’s directive especially at the grassroots level where many girls are at risk of being subjected to FGM,” she reiterated.

The Chief Administrative Secretary also urged the local administrators and the community at large to support the move made by the elders to ensure that Borana community becomes part of the communities to achieve zero FGM by 2022.

Anti-FGM Board Chairperson, Ms Agnes Pareyio called on the Chiefs and their Assistants to support the elders through the implementation of the Presidential directive and challenged them to be his foot soldiers on the ground.

“Efforts should be undertaken to substantially reduce the current national FGM prevalence rate of 21 percent to zero FGM and other harmful cultural practices by 2022.This will be possible when all actors work together and support the campaign to end FGM and other harmful cultural practices,” she said.

On her part, Marsabit County First Lady, H.E. Alemitu Jattan acknowledged the efforts that have been done by the Anti-FGM Board towards the elimination of FGM. She, however, called upon the Government to put up more rescue centres for the girls.

Other leaders present were Marsabit County Commissioner, Mr. Paul Rotich, Anti-FGM Board members, Anti-FGM Board CEO, Bernadette Loloju among other National and County Government officials.

By Maurice Goga

The State Department for Gender Secretary, Ms. Faith Kasiva on Wednesday 14th October, 2020 attended a virtual #SupplierDiversitySummit2020 that was convened by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA).

The Summit sought to accelerate advocacy for greater supplier diversity for increased market linkages for more women, youth and Persons with Disability owned enterprises with the public and private sector and development agencies supply chains.

In her presentation, the Gender Secretary who represented the Cabinet Secretary, Prof. Margaret Kobia, appreciated the great partnership between the Government and KEPSA in ensuring inclusive business in a conducive business environment. She noted that the Summit fits well within the Government’s goal in promoting the socio-economic wellbeing of women, youth and Persons with Disability in line with Vision 2030 which stipulates that gender, youth and vulnerable groups are among the six sectors that drive the socio-economic growth of our country.

Ms. Kasiva observed that the world at large including Kenya is going through extraordinary times due to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of the summit, therefore, was timely and significant given the adverse effects of the pandemic on small and medium enterprises. “As documented, a pandemic such as the COVID 19, deepens existing economic inequalities, seriously affects engagement in economic activities especially in the informal sector which is dominated by women. The Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Sector has experienced various challenges including; falling demands for goods and services, supply chain disruptions, the tightening of credit conditions among others,” she said.

The Chair of National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), Dr. Joyce Mutinda challenged the Government, human rights bodies, the private sector and the media to recognize supplier diversity and establish a reward system for organizations that achieve gender equality and equity in their supply processes.

In her conclusive remarks, the Gender Secretary noted that the objectives of the Supplier Diversity Summit and the actions thereof should ultimately determine and demonstrate the benefits of inclusive sourcing chains including economic recovery and survival strategy now and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Present at the virtual Summit were Nicholas Nesbit, Chair of KEPSA; Dr. Joyce Mutinda, Chair of National Gender and Equality Commission; Ms. Eva Muraya, Chair, Gender and Youth Sector Board, KEPSA; and Ms. Catherine Musakali, Gender and Governance Director, KEPSA.

By Jacqueline Kirimi & Catherine Kamau

The State Department for Gender Principal Secretary, Prof. Collette Suda on Tuesday 13^th October 2020, presided over the official opening of Women Enterprise Fund consultation and validation of Credit policy and Procedures manual event held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Nairobi.

Prof. Suda said it is time to improve the systems and leverage on technology to deliver the products which suits the Fund beneficiaries due to emerging market trends.

She pointed that Women Enterprise Fund is one of the best performing Affirmative Action Fund with a repayment rate of 95%, since its inception in 2007 the Fund has issued loans amounting to Ksh. 19 billion to over 1.8 million beneficiaries.

“The Fund’s impressive performance over the years and as one of the most successful Affirmative Action Initiative in transforming and empowering the lives of women and the society at large has continued to inspire us to review the existing credit policy to align it with the current needs of the beneficiaries,” reiterated Prof. Suda.

The Principal Secretary commended the work of Affirmative Action Fund Boards and management from WEF, Uwezo Fund and NGAAF for their effort in implementing the Government agenda to empower the most vulnerable women, youth and Persons with Disabilities economically.

On her part, WEF Board Chairperson Commissioner Njoki Kahiga said the credit policy is under review to make it better. “We are inviting all the stakeholders to partner and walk with us in this empowerment journey. We are serving women who cannot walk into a formal bank and access credit,” she added.

The WEF Credit policy is undergoing its first review since 2011 to respond to customer needs. The Credit Policy: Introduces new products more aligned to the needs of the modern woman, addresses alignment of the credit department for efficiency, reviews the credit procedures to ensure enhanced repayments thus safe guardian taxpayer’s money and introduces tech-based services.

Among those leaders present at the event were Women Enterprise Fund CEO Eng. Charles Mwirigi, Chairperson NGAAF, Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, and representatives of the National Assembly, Chair Special Funds Hon. Murungi Kathuri.

Principal Secretary for State Department for Public Service, Mrs. Mary Kimonye had an interview at Radio Citizen today where she discussed the recently introduced Service by Appointment (SBA) by Huduma Kenya.

Service by Appointment is a new service that allows customers to book an appointment to seek services at select Huduma Centres. It has been introduced to manage the high numbers of customers that visit Huduma Centres and to reduce waiting time and queues.

During the Interview, the Principal Secretary indicated that the Service by Appointment had been successfully rolled out in Nairobi and Thika and that it would be replicated across the country. She noted that the service would provide convenience for customers and would ensure that COVID-19 guidelines were adhered to as it was expected to reduce queues and crowding.

Mrs. Kimonye acknowledged that there were challenges at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic where Huduma services were reduced to two. We had to withdraw most of the services and only issued birth certificates and identity cards however, the challenges provided us an opportunity to be innovative hence the introduction of the Service by Appointment among other innovations, she said.

On Tuesday 13th October 2020, As a follow up to yesterday’s discussion at Radio Citizen on the introduction of Service by Appointment (SBA) by Huduma Kenya, Principal Secretary, Mrs. Mary Kimonye attended an interview at KBC TV in the morning to discuss the new innovation among other new products that have been developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SBA has been successfully rolled out at Huduma Centre GPO which serves 5000 citizens daily as well as Huduma Centre Thika. To utilise the service, customers are expected to register and book an appointment on the website, www.hudumakenya.go.ke or call the Contact Center on 020 6900020.

By Nelly Kosgey

Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Service, Mrs. Mary Kimonye, on Monday 5th October opened a two-day workshop for Heads of Departments and other senior staff members in the State Department for Public Service at Kenya School of Government, Kabete Campus to sensitize them on Public Financial Management. The workshop themed “Building Forward Better” covered areas on Performance Contracting, Strategic plan, Budget Planning, Principles of Internal Audit and Procedures among others.

She noted that most of the HODs who doubled up as Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) holders played a significant role in the Ministry’s financial and accounting process. “Your role in the financial process is critical. We depend on you to help us assess the quality, validity, authenticity and usefulness of the approvals we receive as we strive to fulfil our mandate,” said Mrs. Kimonye.

Mrs. Kimonye indicated that the training was designed to be interactive to provide skills, encourage participation and exchange information among the participants. Further, she challenged the HODs to acquaint themselves with the Ministry’s Strategic Plan and the Public Financial Management Act (PFM) in discharging their mandate.

The workshop was expected to upgrade knowledge and skills to streamline the financial management process; with a focus on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) guidelines and a linkage between Strategic Plan, Work Planning and Budget.

Principal Secretaries who are the designated Accounting Officers in various State Departments represent the National Treasury in making sure that finances allocated to their respective MDAs are utilized as per the PFM Act 2012 and subsequent regulations that supplement the law. These include Treasury Circulars that guide the Accounting Officers on effective financial management of the allocated resources. The National Treasury has been undertaking PFM reforms geared towards making budgets more responsive to the needs of (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) MDAs that are geared towards growth and development of the Nation.

Mrs. Kimonye urged the HoDs to be part of the team to provide technical input in the budget process in order to provide a budget that is aligned to the aspirations of the State Department and in line with the prevailing Government Agenda. The Principal Secretary also appealed to the HODs to use the workshop to learn and draw priorities for their various departments during a period of scarce resources.

By Nelly Kosgey

Chief Administrative Secretary, Hon. Rachel Shebesh on 1^st October, 2020 led Anti-FGM partners together with other National and County Government leaders at the official launch of H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive to End FGM by 2022 at Allamano multipurpose grounds, Samburu County.

Hon. Rachel Shebesh called on women practicing FGM to surrender the practice and apply for Affirmative Action Funds to develop enterprises to economically empower themselves.

The Chief Administrative Secretary pledged full support from the Ministry to the Anti-FGM partners to ensure that the goal to end the vice is achieved.

“We have a responsibility as Government to protect our women and girls from the harmful practice and we must work towards this goal to eradicate FGM in Kenya for good,” she said.

• 

Hon. Shebesh presided over the disbursement of Affirmative Action Funds from Women Enterprise Fund, Uwezo Fund and Youth Enterprise Fund worth over Ksh.18 million to various women, youth and Persons with Disabilities groups in Samburu County.

She urged the beneficiary groups to invest their loans in profit making enterprises in order to empower themselves economically.

Later on, Hon. Shebesh toured some of the successful businesses being ran by the beneficiaries of Affirmative Action Funds in Samburu County.

On his part, Chief Administrative Secretary for Ministry of Labour and Social Services, Hon. Patrick Ole Ntutu noted that Samburu community has a good culture of protecting their homesteads and urged the residents to protect women and girls from being subjected to harmful practices such as FGM in the same way.

Samburu cultural and religious leaders agreed to support H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta’s commitment to end FGM by 2022 and pledged to find an alternative rite of passage for their women and girls.

Leaders present at the launch included Deputy Governor Samburu County Julius Leseeto, Samburu County Women Rep Hon. Maison Leshoomo, Uwezo Fund Chairperson Prof. Turop Losenge and CEO Mr. Peter Lengapiani, Anti-FGM Board Chairperson Agnes Pareiyo and CEO Bernadette Loloju Women Enterprise Fund CEO Eng. Charles Mwirigi among other National and County officials.

By Jacqueline Kirimi