State approach has enabled better response to Covid-19 - Uhuru

 

Government approach has improved service delivery, especially project completion, absorption of funding and accountability of outcomes by implementing agencies.

These were the words of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said the approach has also enabled the government to respond better to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Over the last two years, there has been a steady improvement in project completion, absorption of project funding and accountability of project outcomes by implementing agencies."

"This all-of- government approach has also been central in the coordination of my administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and it continues to play a critical role in the recovery effort," Uhuru said.

Uhuru spoke on Tuesday at State House, Nairobi, where he presided over the official opening of the 2020 virtual African Delivery Exchange Conference co-hosted by Kenya, African Development Bank and the Tony Blair Institute.

He said the wide scope of the Big 4 Agenda brought into sharp focus the need to increase Government presence at the grassroots as well as work closely with devolved units and elected leaders to bring to bear the full reach of the administrative infrastructure.

Uhuru underscored the importance of the conference, terming it a unique platform for discussing the building blocks for the African Renaissance.

“It is a chance for us to consolidate our thinking around those aspects of leadership that are so critical to delivering results and forward momentum towards the realization of Africa’s Vision 2063,” Uhuru said.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and the President of AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina also spoke at opening ceremony moderated by State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita.

Matiang'i said the all-of-government approach had helped speed up the implementation of public projects by reducing the bureaucracy associated with government.

On his part, Akinwumi congratulated the President for the Government's "people-centric" approach to service delivery and assured of AfDB's continued partnership with Kenya in the implementation of high impact development projects.

Blair applauded President Kenyatta for setting up the PDU and progressively adopting the all-of-government approach to service delivery saying Kenya had established a model worth emulating by other African countries.