In this interview, Raila Odinga describes the development and implementation of Kenya’s National Accord and Reconciliation Act of 2008, a power-sharing agreement between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Party of National Unity (PNU) following the country’s 2007 general election. He explains how the government allocated portfolios, streamlined, and improved coordination. He talks about the creation of a “performance contracting system” that evaluated the strategic plans of each ministry. He describes the role of the international community in post-election monitoring and mediation. Finally, he reflects on the importance of "constructive competition" within a coalition government and the need for clear strategic plans for all ministries. 

In this interview, Dr. Willy Mutunga discusses reform efforts in Kenya’s judiciary during his tenure as the Chief Justice of Kenya and President of the Kenyan Supreme Court.  He describes his main objectives for administrative reform under the new Constitution of 2010, including implementation of the Judiciary Transformation Framework, professionalizing the judicial bureaucracy, reducing corruption among personnel, and providing judges with more substantive training in judicial procedure and constitutional interpretation. Mutunga also describes challenges he and his colleagues faced in institutionalizing these reforms, including lingering tribal and ethnic loyalties, difficulties in getting regional courts to submit to oversight from Nairobi through forms and other monitoring programs, and competing interests among different constituencies within the judicial bureaucracy. He concludes by describing goals going forward, and which reforms he thinks are most at risk of being undone by future Chief Justices less interested in sustaining reform.

In this interview, Mugo Kibati, former Director-General Kenya’s Vision 2030 Delivery Board, talks about his role in implementing the long-term development plan that lays out specific political, economic, and social guidelines to grow Kenya into a competitive, middle-income country.  Marketing Vision 2030 to a public accustomed to failed government promises was an initial challenge, he notes, as were the ethnic and political divisions that needed to be overcome. However, Kibati explains how local outreach to Kenyans and targeted initiatives to different communities ultimately helped Vision 2030 gain support across the country. He further explains how he addressed the tension between politicians motivated by five-year election cycles and the need for patience on long-term projects by outlining stepwise progress measures that political leaders could point to as indicators of success.  Kibati offers advice to reformers in other countries, citing the importance of understanding political and community context as well as patience with bureaucracy in his efforts to effectively execute Vision 2030’s goals.

In this interview, Stanley Murage discusses results based management in the Kenyan government, particularly the implementation of Rapid Results Initiatives (RRI). He begins by recounting the early stages of reforming, from when he first started looking at results based management five years before its execution. The process began in 2003 with different economic sectors creating service charters with measurable goals and timelines. Departments set these goals in conjunction with citizens through stakeholder forums that discussed what aims to establish and how to achieve the desired results. This citizen participation is one demonstration of how citizen-centered the reforms were. In addition to soliciting public input, the Rapid Results reforms also improved communication to the public regarding what services to expect and how the reforms benefited citizens. As part of the new emphasis on results and evaluation, the reform teams also implemented results-based budgeting. Murage identified the political steering from the top as a key factor enabling the success of the RRIs. Having skilled people in government was another critical element. Overall, Murage explains that RRIs require accompanying reform structures such as a policy setting body, political will and a good communication strategy. He outlines the set up and process for each of these elements in Kenya’s implementation of Rapid Results.