County Government of Laikipia

Having in place a well-defined action plan to achieve something is one thing, and realizing it a different. The whole plan and vision requires a medium; a vehicle to take you to the desired goal.
To achieve the goals aspired in the CIDP, a professional county public service was needed in Laikipia.
In one of the meetings aimed at refocusing the senior county managers, Mr. Titus J. Gateere, a former chairman, Public Service Commission, (2005-2011) described public administration as an instrument for providing services and implementing social change and economic development.
According to Mr Gateere, public administration is the basis of a government and a stabilizing force in society.
Prior to Governor Ndiritu Muriithi assuming office, Laikipia public service was different from what it is today. Contrary to the public service code of conduct, a number of officers were politically aligned and had indeed been actively involved in the just-concluded campaigns.
Others were mired in corrupt dealings with county wheeler dealers. A big chunk of the county public was demoralized.
To get the depth of how dire the situation was, you just needed to call a meeting. Any meeting-whether of senior or junior staff would start late. The lateness could range from minutes to hours.
A staff member recalls one day when an envoy from EU country came for a scheduled appointment and there was no senior person to receive him. He had to wait at the reception with his delegation for senior officers to arrive. This was a symptom of how dire the situation was.
In his first general staff meeting on December 18, 2017, some staff freely expressed their discontent to him.
You cant know how promotions are given (sic). Somebody employed far much later than you is promoted before you. Some of us have spent years and years in the same position, lamented one lady.
Worse still, as found out in staff audit conducted in between June and August 2019, a significant number of those in the service could not name or pinpoint who their supervisors were or their form of engagement; permanent and pensionable, contract or casual. So the big question: how could they deliver when they do not have anybody supervising them?
Before the onset of the reforms, the county staff were interacting with 17 different systems in the course of their work. These included 1. SENSEPAY 2. IFMIS 3.County Operations Management System- COMS 4. Hospital Man-agement Information System 5.County GIS 6.Nyahuwasco SmartPeople System 7.NAWASCO PROMICS 8.NAWASCO GIS 9.CIMES 10.GHRIS 11. IPPD 12. PRESSCOM 13. HMIS 14. DHIS 15.E_PROMIS 16. FLEET MANAGEMENT 17. Records Management System.
How efficient were they? Was there duplication? There was also the need for a review or audit of the systems to optimize their use and organizational efficiency.