Performance framework: Can Kenyans see results?

As Kenya enters the final year before the 2027 General Election, one question deserves more attention: How should we objectively determine whether a government is performing?

It sounds simple. It is not.

Government performance is often discussed through competing political narratives. Those in government point to roads, housing, health reforms, agriculture programmes, jobs and infrastructure. Critics point to the cost of living, unemployment, taxation, public debt and difficulties accessing essential services.

Somewhere between these competing narratives should be something less political and more measurable: evidence of performance.

Kenya does, in fact, have an extensive planning and performance architecture. The Fourth Medium Term Plan 2023–2027 is the current five-year implementation plan for Kenya Vision 2030 and is aligned to the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Performance contracting has long been used in the public service to strengthen accountability and service delivery. Government institutions also generate planning, budget and implementation reports, while the Office of the Controller of Budget publishes regular reports on national and county budget implementation.

The question, therefore, is not whether Kenya generates performance information.

The bigger question is: Can the ordinary Kenyan see, understand and experience the results?

From promises to results