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Tag: Chief of Staff Felix Koskei

  • NACADA partners with clergy to curb drug and alcohol abuse in North Rift

    NACADA partners with clergy to curb drug and alcohol abuse in North Rift

    The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has partnered with religious leaders in the North Rift region to step up the fight against alcohol and drug abuse in an effort to dismantle illicit supply networks.

    The partnership follows a meeting that brought together NACADA Board Chair Bishop Stephen Mairori, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and clergy from across the region.

    Religious leaders raised concern over the spread of cheap illicit brews and narcotics across communities in the region, linking drug use to ongoing unrest in schools and indiscipline in learning institutions.

    Bishop Mairori said the partnership will strengthen enforcement while also expanding prevention and rehabilitation efforts.

    “Our youth are perishing. Families are hurting, schools are burning, and communities are bleeding. We cannot stand idle while a generation is wiped out,” said Bishop Dr. Mairori.

    “This initiative is in direct line with implementing the Presidential directive on the fight against drugs in this country. NACADA is fully committed to working hand-in-hand with the clergy to reclaim our children and restore the moral fabric of our nation.”

    He said NACADA would work closely with the clergy to intensify crackdowns on illicit brew dens and disrupt supply chains, in line with government directives on the fight against substance abuse, while scaling up counselling, treatment and reintegration programmes.

    On his part, Koskei said the government will take a tougher stance against traffickers, insisting that criminal networks will be pursued relentlessly.

    “This is not a war we can leave to the police alone. The clergy, parents, teachers and every citizen must rise. We are going after the cartels poisoning our children with the ruthlessness they deserve,” Koskei said.

    The clergy also pledged to champion national cohesion, reject ethnic politics that fuel division and confront the crisis of school unrest.

    They called on parents, teachers and faith institutions to restore discipline and safety in learning institutions.

    The North Rift region has long been affected by alcohol abuse and emerging drug networks, but the expanded multi-agency crackdown is expected to intensify efforts to curb the menace.

  • Align research agendas with national development, Koskei challenges key institutions

    Align research agendas with national development, Koskei challenges key institutions

    Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei Tuesday held a consultative meeting with the leadership of key research institutions to discuss strategies for strengthening their capacity to drive national development

    The meeting that brought together Principal Secretaries, Board Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers oversighting research institutions focused on enhancing coordination and applying evidence-based solutions across sectors.

    Koskei underscored the critical role of research in the success of government projects, noting that it must be aligned with national development priorities. He emphasized that research findings should be distilled into clear, practical policy briefs to inform implementation frameworks.

    “Government decisions must be anchored in solid evidence from the very beginning. Too often, research comes in after policies have already been rolled out and challenges have begun to surface. That approach is costly. If we are to govern responsibly, research must shape policy at conception. Before major programmes are launched, there must be clear feasibility assessments, sound fiscal projections and structured pilots that test assumptions in real conditions”, he said.

    As Kenya advances toward developed nation status, Koskei said its time organisations institutionalize a culture where science, innovation and data are not peripheral, but central to governance.

    “High-performing administrations such as Singapore demonstrate that sustained competitiveness and administrative efficiency are built on anticipatory, policy-linked research. That level of coherence does not happen by accident; it is designed” he said challenging research institutions to rise to that responsibility.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Chief of Staff outlines the roles former ICT CS Owalo will play

    Chief of Staff outlines the roles former ICT CS Owalo will play

    Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has outlined the roles former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo will play in Government as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Performance and Delivery management.

    The Chief of Staff said that Owalo’s will be tasked to oversee performance management across all ministries, State Departments and Parastatals to ensure effective implementation of the Governments revitalized priority projects and programs.

    “The role entails oversight of both the Public Service Performance Management Unit (PSPMU) and the Government Delivery Unit (GDU),” said Koskei.

    Owalo was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Performance and Delivery Management by President William Ruto last month after he dissolved his Cabinet to form the now new broad-based government. He had served as the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and Digital Economy since 2022.

    Owalo’s key Functions

    The former CS will be tasked to coordinate performance management, develop and maintain an effective delivery mechanism, oversee the implementation of the administrations flagship programmes and projects under BETA and institutionalize the administration of performance contracting.

    Other roles include; monitoring and evaluating performance of civil servants and performing tasks assigned by the President or the Chief of Staff.

    “Informed by the foregoing, the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff in the discharge of their mandate shall be required to liase with Ministries, state departments and Agencies on all issues pertaining to performance management and delivery of priority government projects and programmes,”the Chief of Staff said in a statement on Wednesday.

  • Govt wants fight against alcoholism, drug abuse intensified 

    Govt wants fight against alcoholism, drug abuse intensified 

    The Chief of Staff and the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has asked the National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) to step up the fight against alcohol and drug abuse in the country.

    Koskei noted that alcoholism and drug abuse had risen to unprecedented levels, robbing the country of a youthful generation, whose knowledge and skills would help spur development.

    “Drug and alcohol abuse has become a menace. Many youths have become zombies. Chiefs, assistant chiefs, assistant county commissioners, deputy county commissioners, Members of the County Assembly, governors and all other leaders should unite to fight the vice. We should not relent or surrender in this fight,” he said.

    Speaking at the Machakos University Friday, when he launched the Last Mile County Connectivity Project (LMCCP), the Head of Public Service said all those found involving themselves in manufacturing and selling of illicit brews or peddling of drugs should be arrested and prosecuted to curb the menace.

    He noted that peddlers had devised unscrupulous ways of selling drugs, without necessarily raising suspicions and asked NGAOs to be on high alert.

    “Some of the cigarettes being sold around are not the normal cigarettes we know, some of the rolls are actually cannabis sativa packaged as cigarettes, while other unscrupulous individuals are brewing poison in the name of alcohol,” added the Head of Public Service.

    On corruption, Koskei reiterated the government’s commitment in making the country corruption free and asked Kenyans to desist from soliciting and giving bribes.

    “We must stop corruption in government offices, police stations, county government offices and even in the markets. We must all join hands to win the war against corruption,” he said.

    At the same time, the Chief of Staff issued a stern warning to civil servants engaged in corrupt practices that their days were numbered.

    “We can’t painfully pay taxes and then turn around to steal the same taxes. This must stop forthwith to allow development activities to take place across the country,” noted Koskei.

    On the upcoming countrywide tree planting exercise scheduled for Monday, Koskei asked Kenyans to take advantage of the public holiday and grow trees to mitigate climate change.

    “Monday is a working holiday. All Cabinet Secretaries have been assigned to supervise tree planting exercises across the country. Let us come out in large numbers to plant trees,” he said.

     

  • Head of Public Service issues stern warning to public officers

    Head of Public Service issues stern warning to public officers

    Public servants implicated in graft will be shown the door, Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has said.

    Koskei said the era of transferring government officers who engage in corrupt practices is gone and persons found culpable will be dismissed and charged in court.

    He spoke Friday morning after meeting top government officials from the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission, Regional commissioners, County Commissioners, and Sub-county Commissioners for a consultative meeting at the Kenya School of Government.

    The meeting aimed at tightening loopholes that allow corruption to thrive in government.  

    At the same time, he pledged to crack the whip on corrupt individuals hiding behind the notion of job security in government.

    Similar sentiments were echoed by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.

    On his part, Immigration and Citizen Services principal secretary Julius Bitok revealed so far 87,000 passports have been printed as the government addresses the backlog.

    Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission Deputy CEO Abdi Mohamud lauded the government for its commitment in protecting public resources.