Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has directed all cabinet secretaries to suspend the procurement and production of corporate wear including calendars, diaries, umbrellas, and notebooks.
In the directive dated March 18, Koskei also asked Ministries to stop purchasing all promotional merchandise in line with the government’s aim to implement austerity measures.
In addition, the Head of Public Service asked government Ministries and State Departments to optimize their operations and rationalize all non-priority expenditure in accordance with the guidelines issued by the National Treasury.
The directives, according to Felix Koskei, are in line with the provisions of the 2024 Budget Policy Statement approved by Parliament which was designed to help the government mobilize revenue and cut down on non-priority expenditure.
“Suspend and immediately cease the procurement, printing and production of corporate wear, including but not limited to t-shirts, shirts, tracksuits, and any other branded clothing item,” read the directive in part.
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The directive was also copied to the Auditor General, the Controller of Budget, the Office of the Attorney General, and Secretary to the Cabinet. This, however, is not the first time the Head of Public Service has sent out directives requiring Ministries to implement austerity measures.
In a statement in October 2023, the Head of Public Service issued a directive requiring all government departments to halt unnecessary foreign trips by government officers.
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At the time, Koskei noted that all trips involving both Cabinet and Principal Secretaries would be restricted to a delegation of three-person limit.
However, the Government has been accused of failing to walk the talk, with several instances where government officials tagged along bloated delegations raising questions about the practicality of the goal to cut down on expenses.
In December 2023, for example, various state departments were at pains to justify the size of the delegation sent to represent Kenya at the COP28 conference held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
