Transformation of the Cabinet Secretariat (CabSec)
The Cabinet Secretariat (CabSec) has a unique mandate within the public service governance system in that it not only supports the decision-making function of the Cabinet, but that its head also serves as Head of the Civil Service. This role duality functions across the strategic high-level policy making cycle to the day-to-day operationalization of the programs and strategies by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). The strategic objective(s) of the Cabinet Secretariat are: (i) to support the Cabinet’s decision-making role in government by enhancing the quality of information, consistency in policy formulation, through evidence-based policy development, and (ii) to ensure the effective implementation of government policies and the smooth running of government through leadership, effective coordination, supervision and oversight of the Civil Service.
In 2014 the then Secretary to Cabinet & Head of the Civil Service, Dr. Ernest Surrur, initiated a restructuring of the Cabinet Secretariat to address the myriad of problems including the lack of adequate resources, staffing, and the failure to embrace change in a dynamic and evolving public sector environment. Significantly also, poor data management infrastructure and poor IT systems compromised the security of sensitive government data and hindered public accessibility. One of the key symptoms of this stagnation was the marked exclusion of the CabSec in the post-conflict governance reforms despite it being a strategic public sector leader as illustrated by its Constitutional mandate. As a result of these challenges, the CabSec’s capacity to deliver on its mandate was very limited, and some of its critical functions remained dormant. A strategy meeting in January 2014 identified the need for a comprehensive Management and Functional Review to provide a road map for improvements. The MFR report identified the major challenges affecting the performance and service delivery of the CabSec, and proffered a series of recommendations on addressing them.
2014 was therefore a dynamic year of transformation for the Cabinet Secretariat, as it restructured its structure, work processes, and systems to strengthen its capacity for undertaking its strategic mandate in the public service. One major aspect of the reforms was the review and revision of the Cabinet Manual, for strengthening the processes and procedures for submission of Memoranda, deliberations by Committees, and monitoring of Cabinet decisions. These revisions were largely supported by the Africa Cabinet Government Network (ACGN), as part of its DfID-sponsored Africa Cabinet Decision-making Programme.
There were similar improvements in the internal management of the institution; the Secretary to the Cabinet & HOCS initiated weekly Management Meetings (held every Monday at 10 a.m.) with full participation from all senior staff, where technical and administrative issues were addressed. A General Staff meeting for all staff of the CabSec was held every first Monday of each month, during which important issues, including those relating to staff welfare and office operations were discussed. These meetings which have become part of the general operations of the CabSec, yielded positive results, strengthening accountability, coordination, and collaboration at all levels.
Management and Functional Review
The Management and Functional Review (MFR) conducted in 2014 was the first major review of the Cabinet Secretariat’s institutional arrangements since independence. It was necessitated both by the need to address historical challenges, as well to improve support for the Cabinet decision-making and to embrace the President’s agenda for the modernization of the Public Sector. Specifically the MFR assessed the institutional, structural and human capacities of the CabSec, proffering recommendations for improvements. The objectives of this exercise were, among others, to ensure that CabSec had:
The right staff skills
Appropriate systems and processes
That functions were aligned and roles clarified to avoid conflict and maximize productivity
The right management structures, including Procurement Units and Committees, Budget Committees, Records and Human Resources Officers, etc.
The MFR concluded that even though CabSec remains a pivotal institution in the heart of government given its mandate of organizing the business of Cabinet, as well as providing strategic supervision over the heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, a combination of challenges such as lack of functional clarity, structure, human resources and ICT inhibited the capacity of the CabSec to deliver on its critical role in government. Key issues to be addressed included:
The legal mandate – Sub-section 68 (3) c of the Constitution, which extends the role of the Head of the Civil Service into the public service, mandating it to coordinate and supervise the work of all administrative heads of ministries and departments in the Public Service”, must be clarified especially vis-à-vis the functions of other central public service institutions such as the Public Service Commission.
Functions- the core functions of the CabSec must be clarified to take into account (i) the changes being made to Cabinet processes, including the new Cabinet Manual to guide the process and management of the Cabinet, the development of guidelines and procedures for the preparation and submission of evidence-informed Cabinet proposals, improved processes for preparing and circulating Cabinet decisions and monitoring their implementation; (ii) increasing pressures on the Secretary to the Cabinet in his role as Head of the Civil Service, especially on performance assessment, managing tension within and between the leadership of the ministries, and in coordinating reform initiatives and institutional development of the Public Sector
Structure- the current structure does not support all the established functions of the CabSec. It is largely hierarchical instead of functional, with too many staff reporting directly to the Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service. Division of labour tends to be based on seniority of tenure rather than clear job roles, with severe consequences for overall effectiveness with poor time management workload and commitment.
Records Management- the capacity for storing records is very limited and this poses a threat for the security of Cabinet records, as well as the efficient performance of the CabSec.
Human Resource management- the CabSec lacks qualified professional staff and subject matter specialists including policy analysts and administrators, to effectively perform its functions. Current staff have received very little training in strategic competencies over the years, which has affected their performance.
The MFR report provided a series of recommendations for addressing the key challenges highlighted above, and for improving the overall structure, systems and processes of the CabSec. An internal review of the draft MFR report was undertaken, with plans to disseminate the final report to key stakeholders in the public sector during the latter part of the year for their comments, before submission to Cabinet for approval. However given the constraints created by the Ebola crisis, and the need for urgent improvements, implementation of some of the recommendations, particularly for those relating to the internal organizational structure and records management, commenced in the latter months of 2014.
Subsequently, a new structure was instituted during the second part of 2014, based on a flat departmental model, supporting three objectives;
To free up the time of the Cabinet Secretary by allowing senior civil servants at the rank of a Permanent Secretary to deal with internal departmental issues while providing him with regular briefing of day-to-day activities;
To equip the office to provide the increased support to Ministers and MDAs embodied in the new Cabinet procedures;
To enhance the professionalization of staff by allowing each individual to focus on a particular job and develop expertise.
