Approaches In LAs
1. a comprehensive performance strategy that includes both bottom-up
(social accountability approaches that are citizen-led) and top-down approach- es (conformance and compliance to rules and regulations).
Develop a comprehensive human re- 2.
source strategy that considers remuner- ation, security of tenure, skills, transfers and capacity development of LA staff. De-politicize the planning and implemen- 3.
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tation process by ensuring an integrated approach to development planning that
is not ward-based, but linked to sectoral priorities in the LA area of jurisdiction. Institutionalize M&E practice by putting 4.
in place M&E units and deploying com- petent M&E officers to constantly re- view, document and share performance with stakeholders.
Revise the performance contracting sys- 5.
tem to be more outcomes and impact focused, and integrates lateral perfor-
mance systems to avoid duplicated data
gathering. Harmonise and
6. link performance reports from each performance sub-system to
avoid duplicative efforts and wastage of resources on similar audits.
Develop and implement a
7. sanctions and
reward strategy that is linked to annual
performance contracts, and linked to the LATF High Performance Account. This should be guided by clear processes,
procedures and chains of accountability to ensure that that the right results and
people are sanctioned/rewarded.
Develop and implement a
8. knowledge
management strategy to ensure strate-
gic reports are available to guide policy
development for the sector.
10
LESSONS LEARNED
The following lessons were learned during the
RPRLGSP programme’s work with the Ministry of Local Government and Local Authorities in Kenya.
Failing to offer a responsive HRM strategy 1.
that embeds practices and policies that enforce ethics, integrity and profession- alism will continue to hamper LA perfor- mance.
Performance management and interlinked
M&E systems must integrate indicators that touch on ethics and integrity. Most of the pub-
lic funds lost are as a result of lack of ethics in
procurement and other malpractices. The en- forcement of the Public Officers Ethics Act to
entrench good governance should be urgently
considered as a sanction strategy for LAs. MoLG should relook at the HRM function in LAs and in so doing, promote an institutional frame-
work and culture that is more ethically driv- en and that is performance and merit based.
Strong monitoring units with diverse oversight
teams of stakeholders consisting of local citi- zens, PLGOs and council staff should be insti-
tutionalised as a routine project management practice, and to support the Performance con- tracting process.
Poor HR planning practices and low
2. cali-
bre staff hamper effective performance management in LAs
Professional HR planning requires that an insti- tution has the right staff to do the job. HR plan- ning capacity in LAs needs to be re-looked at
with a view to ensuring that there is alignment
between the job requirements and the quali- fications of the holder. Mostly, LAs conduct an annual skills training plan which is often not funded nor linked to holistic capacity assess- ment of gaps. In most LAs, the HR department/ personnel section is headed by clerical officers who are not trained in HR management. Many LAs cite the lack of response from MoLG and PSC to address their staff requirements and as a result, many vacant positions remain unfilled for lengthy periods of time. This is because the HR planning function is vested with third parties; i.e. staff policy, procedures and placements are vested on PSC and MoLG, who lack the capacity/will to facilitate and en- able capacity building in LAs. These challenges make HR planning and execution a continued
challenge for LAs as their autonomy is further
constrained by this legal and operational envi- ronment.
Well trained Monitoring & Evaluation pro- 3.
fessionals are a prerequisite to good per- formance management
The lack of M&E systems is responsible, to a large extent, for LA failure to deliver services effectively. This is because the internal and external pressure for accountability is weak, a
fact that is acknowledged and reiterated by the
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government;
‘’The lack of a performance management sys- tem both in the Ministry and Local Authori- ties has hampered performance monitoring and implementation of corrective measures
to deliver progressive improvement in service
delivery. The Ministry will implement a perfor-
mance management approach that is consis- tent with results-based management both at the Ministry and in Local Authorities. (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Lo- cal Government, Strategic Plan, 2004-2009). The consequence of this is that; (i) a formal M&E system consisting of policies, structures, and M&E specialized staff, has not been estab- lished. As a result, ad-hoc teams travel around the country periodically to gather information
167 Local Authorities Performance:
on LA performance. Such an informal system of monitoring is not only open to abuse, but defies the good practice that underpins ac-
countability management whereby a well es- tablished M&E system should provide data and information to account for results.
The MoLG should embark on an effort to es- tablish, train and continuously develop M&E officers and M&E units in LAs.
A weak results strategy hinders a results- 4.
based approach to service delivery
The performance contracting system and other subsystems offer generic process indicators to capture LA results.
A revision of the PC criterion should accommo- date higher level results; KLGRP has developed a set of indicators across the whole result chain, from inputs, outputs, processes and outcomes. This should be integrated in the PC system.
Poorly integrated Monitoring & Evalu- 5.
ation systems create a silo-effect in the performance management strategy and weaken accountability
The lack of integrated M&E systems is a weak
link in performance management systems in
LAs and at policy levels. Table 4 has detailed
the diversity of these systems, and the chal- lenges thereof. Supplying data across subsys- tems is one o the ways in which M&E can serve
a strategic role in engendering performance
and also highlighting policy areas that require reform.
Further, LA systems are not linked to the na- tional M&E system, NIMES, and it is plausible
that LAs data is therefore not captured at this
level, undermining local level perspectives in the national planning process.
Further the singular planning is not harmon-
ised through a sector investment plan for the
area. This requires a coordinated planning ap-
proach that allows all sector stakeholders to
jointly plan priorities in a given sector to avoid duplication and untenable projects. LASDAP
planning should consider moving towards an integrated development plan which is a more
holistic planning process.
The space for citizen participation must ex- ist not only in policy, but LAs must also devise
ways to implement the LASDAP policy of par- ticipation.
Monitoring & Evaluation system must be 6.
linked to LA operational systems like pro- curement and the project cycle
Besides low/or nonexistent M&E in LAs, opera- tional management in LAs remains disjointed from the overall performance strategy. Often, LAs fulfil their performance contracts without a plan of action based on planned improvements to their management systems. This translates into ‘business as usual’’ where key project
cycle processes go unchanged from year to
year. One critical area requiring improvements
in the procurement phase that has a high po- tential for corruption, inefficient allocation of resources, poor cost estimations and contract- ing failures, all resulting to project failure. (Ref paper 5 on good procurement practices).
Since there are no process indicators linked to
the procurement process, procurement plan- ning and execution is haphazard and is not systematic, leading to non-compliance to good procurement practice.
Process indicators on procurement with se- lected indicators would address this challenge. Further, the procurement system is not linked to the budgetary process and therefore, a high percentage of projects are underfunded and not completed because of poor cost estima- tions. Financial reforms should encapsulate a broad spectrum of processes that are tied to the project cycle to ensure that adverse prac- tices in one process do not lead to a multiplier
effect in the whole project cycle.
Accountability and good performance
7. is
prohibited by weak rewards and sanc- tions system
A good M&E system is a pre-requisite for a sus- tainable sanctions and reward strategy (S&R) without which, it is difficult to determine ‘’for what’’ and ‘’whom’’ to hold accountable. The element of ‘’taking action’’ based on ‘’adjudged performance’’, is the link between M&E - Sanc- tions and Rewards. Individuals or organisa- tions, collectively, get sanctioned or rewarded for their acts of commission/omission. This will require that LA organisational structures de-
volve not only responsibility but accountability
for officers charged with failure to perform on service delivery functions; (see the 4S strate- gies proposed in paper 5). A case in point is the tragedies that have continued to plague build- ing construction that have been approved by LAs. Who should be sanctioned when a build- ing collapses? These questions will remain un- answered unless a functional sanctions system is put in place.
An effective performance management system
must therefore address the issue of reward-
ing people for good performance and dealing
with penalizing underperformance. The ulti-
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