CS Ruku pushes for expansion of government services across all Huduma Centres

Speaking during a consultative meeting with representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on service deployment at his Harambee office, Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes, CS Geoffrey Ruku, called on all government institutions offering citizen-facing services to ensure they are available in every Huduma Centre nationwide.

“We hold the key to shaping the public perception of government. Any MDA with citizen-facing services should ensure those services are not only available at Huduma Centres but are also delivered in a customer-friendly manner. This will enable us to serve Kenyans effectively in line with the mandate entrusted to the Government by the people,” said CS Ruku.

The Cabinet Secretary urged MDAs to adopt proposals developed by the Huduma Kenya Secretariat aimed at addressing persistent staffing shortages and improving service delivery across government institutions.

Under the proposed framework, MDAs with adequate staffing levels would deploy their officers to Huduma Centres to offer services directly to citizens.

For agencies experiencing staff shortages, the Secretariat has recommended leveraging Huduma Kenya’s personnel, systems and infrastructure to deliver services on their behalf.

Ruku explained that the arrangement would allow Universal Public Servants stationed at Huduma Centres to provide selected services as determined by the respective agencies, reducing the need for individual institutions to deploy officers to every service point.

According to the Secretariat, the proposal would significantly reduce operational costs by minimizing the establishment of standalone offices and limiting the need for agency-specific workstations across the country. It would also optimize the use of existing infrastructure within Huduma Centres while expanding access to government services.

To further strengthen service delivery, the Secretariat has proposed the training and deployment of Ministerial Universal Agents capable of offering multiple services on behalf of departments and agencies within a ministry.

The initiative is expected to improve efficiency, enhance convenience for citizens and ensure continuity of services, particularly in institutions facing staffing constraints.

CS Ruku also warned that any MDA that fails to onboard onto the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) risks having its employees denied salaries and allowances.

He noted that operating outside the integrated government system creates loopholes that facilitate double salary payments, irregular allowances and other fictitious transactions, resulting in significant financial losses to the government.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of public servants, revealing plans to establish a dedicated unit through which civil servants can channel workplace grievances.

The proposed mechanism will provide a professional and confidential platform for handling complaints without fear of intimidation or harassment, similar to the services offered to citizens through the Ombudsman.

The CS further noted that Huduma Centres should be able to offer security documents such as passports without any challenge, urging the Huduma Centres staff to put their best foot forward as they have always done.

Public Service and Human Capital Development Principal Secretary Dr Kere Imbunya commended the Huduma Kenya Secretariat for its commitment to transforming public service delivery and building Huduma Kenya into a trusted national brand.

“It is not about us in the Secretariat, but about the quality of services that we offer to citizens,” she said.

Dr Imbunya noted that Huduma Centres were established as one-stop service centres and stressed the need for continuous dialogue among stakeholders to assess progress and identify opportunities for improvement.

“It is not the number of people we serve that matters most, but the quality of service they receive. Huduma Centres were established to make government services more convenient and accessible to all Kenyans, while helping bridge the digital divide. We must continue working together to build the resilience and momentum needed to deliver quality services,” she said.

During the meeting, Huduma Kenya Secretariat Chief Executive Officer Ben Kai revealed that unequal deployment of government services across Huduma Centres continues to inconvenience citizens, forcing many to travel outside their counties in search of essential services.

Kai said Huduma Kenya currently offers 165 services from 51 Ministries, Departments and Agencies and 35 county governments through its network of 59 Huduma Centres. However, only 11 MDAs have deployed services in all centres across the country.

To address the challenge, Kai proposed expanding the Universal Public Servant Model, under which trained Huduma Kenya staff deliver services on behalf of government agencies.

He said the model would help bridge staffing gaps, promote equitable access to government services and reduce the burden on citizens who currently incur additional costs travelling to access services unavailable in their local Huduma Centres.