Kenya on Course to Cement Regional Pacesetter Role — PS Omollo

Kenya, 5 December 2025 - Kenya’s ambition to consolidate its position as a regional pacesetter in security, governance, digital transformation, and international diplomacy appears to be gathering fresh momentum, according to a new government performance review released at the 13th meeting of the Governance and Public Administration (GPA) Sub-Committee.

The session, chaired by Internal Security PS Dr Raymond Omollo, examined developments recorded in the third and final quarters of 2025—painting a picture of a government accelerating reforms across multiple fronts, even as it grapples with structural and institutional hurdles.

A major highlight of the review is the renewed investment in national security and grassroots administration.

The recruitment of 10,000 police officers and the training of nearly 6,000 Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs marks the largest such capacity-building initiative undertaken under the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Policy analysts interpret the push as both a security enhancement strategy and a governance-strengthening measure, given the pivotal role chiefs play in conflict resolution, civic education, and state presence at the community level.

Equally notable is the dramatic leap in service delivery efficiency.

Passport processing—long plagued by chronic delays—has been reduced from over six months to 72 hours, a turnaround hailed by the GPA Sub-Committee as a new continental standard.

This improvement aligns with the broader digital government agenda, which has seen 22,510 services uploaded onto the eCitizen platform across 583 agencies, sharply expanding citizen access while tightening accountability.

The review also underscores Kenya’s rising global footprint. Enhanced diaspora engagement continues to bear economic fruit: annual remittances have climbed beyond KSh 660 billion with projections suggesting they may surpass KSh 1 trillion as investment support structures mature.

In labour diplomacy, the government has facilitated over 400,000 safe overseas job placements, signalling the growing importance of labour mobility in Kenya’s economic and geopolitical strategy.

Still, the Sub-Committee acknowledged gaps in execution. Of the 19 Cabinet Decisions reviewed, only 11 percent have been fully implemented. Progress on the remainder has been slowed by funding delays, weak inter-agency coordination, and protracted legal processes.

The Solicitor General reported 60 petitions filed against government legislation since 2022, many linked to inadequate public participation—a recurring governance weakness that threatens to stall flagship programmes unless corrected.