President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, November 12, threw a party for State House employees to celebrate their achievements.
The State House employees received the special and rare treat from the Head of State for emerging as the second best performing State Department in the annual ranking. They were narrowly beaten by the National Treasury that is led by Cabinet Secretary, Ukur Yatani.
The colorful party was filled with songs from different artists, dances and later followed by prayers to appreciate the exemplary service.
The Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development took the third position in the listing done in accordance with the 2016 Public Service Rewards and Sanctions Framework.
The team is essential as it is the one behind Uhuru's exceptional performance in different sectors and generally running the country.
The party was also held to bid goodbye to 41 State House employees who were retiring from the public service. The 41 have been critical in pushing President Uhuru's development projects.
Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes, Prof Margaret Kobia, applauded the State House staff for their dedication to duty. Accompanied by State House Comptroller, Kinuthia Mbugua, Kobia noted that the staff enabled Uhuru to deliver on his constitutional mandate of running the country.
"State House being the place where the President resides, I think you have done the country proud. If the place where His Excellency is residing is doing well then you are sure he will be able to deliver on his mandate," Kobia said.
The CS stated that the ranking has motivated the staff to even work more harder to help the President deliver.
“There's is no government that can perform if public service is not performing. Each Ministry, each department contributes to service delivery. If all departments pull in the same direction then we can achieve much.”
For the retiring staff, Kobia challenged them to apply their vast experience gained from serving the Head of State to be productive citizens. She further appreciated them for their outstanding service.
“Retirement is another phase and state of mind. If you say you are tired and old that will happen but if you say this is another opportunity then you will definitely excel in life, if you continue in line with your passion and skills which you acquired over the years,” Prof Kobia told the retirees.
On the other hand, Kinuthia commended the staff for their loyalty and teamwork which had continued to enable the presidential unit deliver.
"I note with satisfaction, that focused leadership, staff commitment and teamwork in implementing these plans have resulted in the remarkable achievement demonstrated through the exemplary State House performance among government ministries, departments and agencies as demonstrated in the performance contracting rankings," the State House Comptroller remarked.
He said excellent performance of State House has been occasioned by the hard work, creativity, and innovativeness of its employees and urged the staff to always strive to excel in their assignments.
"Personally, I have enjoyed your support and dedication in the delivery of our mandate; and that makes me a better and happier person here at the workplace. I believe that the success of State House has maximally depended on your hard work, creativity and innovativeness," Mbugua said.
The party was graced by Public Service PS Mary Kimonye, State House Chief of Staff, Nzioka Waita, and Chief of Staff in the Office of the First Lady, Constance Gikonyo.
Other who attended the event are State House Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Policy and Strategy, Ruth Kagia, the President's SME Advisor, Anne Mutahi, and State House Spokesperson, Kanze Dena Mararo.
