Civil Servants to Check In and Out of Office Under Proposed New Law

Kenyans line up to access tax services in Nairobi

In a move meant to improve service delivery in government offices, Molo MP Kimani Kuria has introduced a motion in Parliament aimed at taming rogue civil servants, who are chronically out of office during working hours.

Kenyans dread visiting government offices because of the rampant bureaucracy and absenteeism of service givers, who, due to lack of proper supervision, report to work in the morning and then sneak out to attend to other unofficial matters.

In a notice of motion to Parliament, Kuria voiced this matter of public concern over the laxity of government officials who earn hefty salaries each month.

Kenyans line up for Passport services

“That, aware that public offices have been established to provide government services to the people of Kenya…Further aware that provision of quality services by public institutions has been a matter of great public outcry due to absenteeism and negligence by officers…” wrote Kuria in the notice addressed to Speaker Justin Muturi.

The legislator noted that this well-known behaviour by civil servants has not only led to the loss of vital resources in the country but also loss of lives in hospitals, where medics on duty are never around to attend to emergencies.

Patients await treatment at a Kenyan hospital

To tame the affected rogue civil servants, Kuria has proposed the enforcement of a biometrics clocking in and out of office system in all public offices to ensure that state employees maintain productivity throughout their designated working hours.

“This House urges the government to speedily roll out installation of a bio-metric clocking-in system in all institutions…to curb the menace of lax working conditions and absenteeism in all public offices,” Kuria added.

Kenyans lie up for tax services

The motion also proposes the display of service charters in public offices, as well as regular absenteeism checks in these offices.

Highly sort after government offices such as those charged with issuance of tax, identification, and travel documents are occasioned by snaking queues day in day out.

This is despite the government’s move to establish Huduma Centres around the country to decentralise services.

Kenyans line up for services at a Huduma Centre

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