Ruto Unveils New Look Public Service as 6,000 Chiefs Graduate in Landmark Reform Drive
By Peace Muthoka
Kenya stepped into a new era of grassroots governance today as President William Ruto presided over the graduation of nearly 6,000 chiefs and assistant chiefs at the National Police College, Embakasi A Campus.
The ceremony marked the first large-scale training of National Government Administration Officers since 2016, a gap the President said his administration is determined to close as it works to build a faster, smarter, and more efficient public service.
President Ruto said the newly trained officers will energise operations at the grassroots and ensure smoother implementation of government programmes. He praised their dedication, noting their central role in registering more than seven million farmers on the digital platform. He described them as “the heartbeat of government service in every village.”
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the event symbolised renewed trust in local administration. He explained that over the last three years, the ministry has undergone major reforms to modernise national administration and strengthen the State’s presence across the country.
He highlighted key gains, including the training of 804 NGAOs and 5,892 chiefs and assistant chiefs, alongside others who completed short professional courses on leadership, conflict management, climate change, public engagement, and digital service delivery.
The Ministry has created 50 new sub-counties, 14 divisions, and 30 locations and sub-locations to improve service reach. Chiefs now have better mobility through 20 electric motorcycles, while uniform distribution has been decentralised to regional centres to save time and reduce travel.
Murkomen said 50 modern one-stop NGAO offices have already been built to give citizens easier access to services. He added that digitalisation has sped up reporting, deepened coordination among officers, and eliminated old bottlenecks that slowed community-level services.
He also noted progress in police and prisons reform, guided by the recommendations of the National Taskforce on improving working conditions for officers.
The CS praised chiefs for enhancing community safety through stronger early-warning systems, quicker response to emergencies, and deeper collaboration with residents in conflict-prone areas. He said structured community forums have enabled chiefs to mobilise citizens, explain government policies, and support social and economic programmes more effectively.
Murkomen reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to keeping the national administration “the most trusted, accessible, and responsive arm of government.”
The graduation ended with a renewed national promise a more visible, more capable, and more professional grassroots administration ready to serve every Kenyan.
