Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has directed government officials to take advantage of online searches for benchmarking.
Speaking during the Kenyan Regulatory Authorities event in Mombasa, Mudavadi said the officials should draw inspiration from global best practices and benchmarks in the journey to revitalize the authorities.
“Benchmarking against international standards of regulatory excellence will help us glean valuable insights and identify innovative approaches to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our regulatory framework,” Mudavadi said.
He asked the regulatory officials not to use his advice as an excuse to plan for foreign trips adding that they should conduct online research instead of travelling abroad for benchmarking.
According to the PCS, the officials can make use of the technology to do online benchmarking in efforts to improve Kenya’s regulatory authorities.
“Please do not interpret this a cat blanch to now arrange for benchmarking trips. My intention here is to provoke you to research online using available technology and infuse global best practices in our local regulatory environment,” he said.
“I can tell you that the head of public service, Felix Koskei, will not approve certain travels because they end up on his desk.”
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He thanked Koskei for spearheading the streamlining of regulatory authorities and agencies.
“I have been in government for some time, and I cannot recollect when regulatory authorities in particular were convened to have this kind of dialogue. This is a unique meeting since it focuses on the authorities,” he said.
Mudavadi revealed that former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime did not facilitate the appointment of State Corporations Appeals Tribunal.
However, Koskei oversaw the appointment of Tribunal members and chairpersons, and the inspectorates now have the power to surcharge.
He explained that the power is critical in the fight against corruption.
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Role of Regulators
Additionally, the regulators serve as the guardian of the country’s wellbeing and prosperity.
For this reason, Mudavadi said the government should support the activities of the authorities.
He also stated that the country has 78 state corporations serving as regulatory authorities fully funded by the government.
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Mudavadi said the corporations overburden the National Treasury which can lead them to prioritize revenue generating activities over their primary mandate of regulatory exercise.
“Instead of focusing on safeguarding citizens and ensuring collective sectoral regulation, they maybe become lovely preoccupied with collecting licensing fees and income earning projects such as real estate ventures,” he said.
He admitted that the government requires a more proactive approach and forward-thinking approach to come up with solutions to the problems affecting the authorities.
