Principal Secretary for Public Investments and Assets Management Cyrell Odede Wagunda has reaffirmed the National Treasury’s commitment to sustaining and enhancing high performance standards under the current performance contract cycle.

During a high-level consultative meeting on the Second Performance Contract Cycle Mid-Year Review for the Financial Year Review 2025/2026 for the National Treasury and Economic Planning at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, the principal secretary commended departments and units in National Treasury for the timely preparation and submission of FY 2025/26 Ministerial Performance Contract mid-term report.

Odede noted that the submission reflects the institution’s dedication to efficient service delivery and accountability.

Additionally, Wagunda emphasized the importance of maintaining strong evidentiary documentation to support reported achievements, underlining this as a critical element in performance evaluation.

In remarks delivered on his behalf by the Director General for Public Private Partnerships Kenya, Eng Kefa Seda, the principal secretary also acknowledged the vital role of technical staff in driving results and called on supervisors to provide the necessary support to ensure the successful realization of set targets.

Further, he highlighted the collective responsibility shared across the three state departments under the Ministry of National Treasury. He stressed the need for close collaboration and coordinated efforts in delivering on ministerial objectives.

“Performance and Delivery Management is a structured approach to planning, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on institutional results to ensure achievement of Performance Contract targets,” Wagunda explained. He observed that it provides a framework through which ministries, departments and Agencies (MDAs) translate national priorities into measurable outputs and outcomes, while strengthening accountability, transparency and service delivery.

He observed that at the core of effective performance management is clear target setting and alignment, noting that Annual Performance Contracts cascade national development priorities, Cabinet decisions, and ministerial mandates into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) targets.

“These targets must be clearly communicated to all implementing units and officers to ensure institutional alignment and shared ownership of results,” the principal secretary urged.

Equally, Wagunda maintained that continuous monitoring and tracking of progress is essential to maintaining compliance, insisting that institutions are required to establish internal monitoring mechanisms, including periodic performance reviews, data validation processes and milestone tracking systems.

He added that regular internal reviews – monthly or quarterly – enable early identification of performance gaps and allow timely corrective action before mid-year and annual evaluations.

The principal secretary pointed out that evidence-based reporting is a critical requirement in PC evaluation stressing that all reported achievements must be supported by credible, verifiable and well-documented evidence in line with Performance Contract guidelines.

“Proper record keeping, data integrity, and documentation of outputs, outcomes, and impact indicators are fundamental to sustaining high performance ratings. Institutions must ensure that evidence is organized, accessible, and aligned to each specific target,” he outlined.

The principal secretary said leadership and supervisory support significantly influence performance outcomes. He highlighted that senior management is responsible for providing strategic direction, mobilising resources, removing bottlenecks and fostering a performance-oriented culture.

“Supervisors must actively guide technical teams, ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities, and promote accountability at all levels,” the principal secretary said.

Wagunda also stated that risk management and mitigation planning further strengthen compliance and pointed out that institutions should proactively identify operational, financial and external risks that may hinder achievement of targets and develop mitigation strategies.

He further directed that escalation mechanisms should be in place to address challenges requiring higher-level intervention.

Similarly, the principal secretary explained that collaboration and coordination enhance delivery effectiveness saying that cross-departmental synergy, stakeholder engagement and alignment with other government entities prevent duplication of efforts and improve efficiency.

“Performance management should therefore be viewed as a collective responsibility rather than an isolated departmental function,” he advised.

Meanwhile, the mid-year review was described as a strategic platform to assess progress, address performance gaps and apply lessons learned to strengthen delivery in the remaining half of the financial year.

The meeting, which brought together senior leadership from the Ministry of National Treasury, concluded with a shared commitment to candid, solution-oriented engagement aimed at enhancing overall institutional performance.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Michael Omondi