Customer Service Excellence: Inside Huduma Kenya, Kenya School of Government MoU

The Kenya School of Government and Huduma Kenya have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The agreement brings together the expertise of two organisations that have jointly developed a Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Training Framework for the Public Service.

It is also set to establish a Centre of Excellence for training programmes aimed at Service Excellence.

The MoU was signed at the Kenya School of Government by Ag. Director General, Prof Nura Mohamed and Huduma Kenya Ag. CEO, Mugambi Njeru, at an event presided over by Chief Guest, Amos Gathecha, who is Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Service.

Quoting the Constitution of Kenya Articles 73 (1) Article 73 (2) on responsibilities of leadership and the guiding principles of leadership and integrity, PS Gathecha stated, “Citizens must be treated with dignity and integrity. They want to receive service where they do not have to queue; service on the spot; a customer service quality that best describes Huduma Kenya."

"It is this quality that inspired the development of the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Training Framework to enable replication of the programme in the whole of Public Service.”

Speaking of support from the Government, the PS revealed that the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei is enthusiastic about this program and wishes to be at the forefront once it is rolled out.

He, however, called for more support from the Public Service Commission to support capacity building, by making some of the leadership and induction courses that are undertaken at the Kenya School of Government compulsory.

“These programmes help to shape the Public Service thinking and doing. How will they implement the development plan if they do not understand the Bottom-up economic Transformative Agenda? You cannot have an effective officer who has not been trained," Gathecha said.

“By equipping public servants with the requisite competencies and ethical frameworks, Huduma Kenya and the School are not only creating a culture of excellence but also reaffirming the Constitutional mandate to serve the people diligently and selflessly.”

Challenging all officers to serve with positivity, Gathecha gave his testimony; “I am in the Public Service because I wanted to be here, I wanted to join the Public Service and I have been here for years.  Do the right thing and do it the right way.”

Prof, Nura Mohamed, Acting Director General of the Kenya School of Government said he is confident that the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Training Framework and the Centre of Excellence will become the legacy that will be known for transforming how the Public Service does business.

“The School in the next five years will be guided by six pillars. In particular, the 6th pillar is about having a citizen-centric public service, one that is sensitive to the needs of the public,” he said.

“This is why we collaborated with Huduma Kenya, known for its excellence in customer service- to replicate the same across Government and standardise service delivery.”

This he emphasized with a clarion call: tumewaskia na tutawafikia- the needs of the citizens have been heard and something is being done about it.

The goal is to transform the culture of public service into one that is fit for service guided by a customer-centric perspective.

“I am confident that soon, we shall begin to see the changes in customer service in all our institutions,” he said.

Njeru stated clearly that Kenyans have invested in the Government through the payment of their taxes and therefore deserve to get the best service.

“What are we doing deliberately to address what the customer needs and is demanding? We must be keen to provide remarkable continuous customer experiences where a customer feels honoured and appreciated. We must ask ourselves if citizens are satisfied with our services.”

The programme is tailor-made and recommended for different cadres; Executives (Heads of Organizations, Ministries, Departments Agencies and Counties (MDACs) and Industry thought Leaders); Managers; Quality Standard Assessors; Front Office (customer-facing) Staff; and Technical Officers.

Concerning this, Njeru explained the need and process to transition the customer service culture in Huduma Kenya to the Public Service. 

“We cannot load over Kenyans but serve them with excellence. This intentional action comes from training.”

He reiterated Prof Mohamed’s vision of a customer-centric public service, where services are delivered as per their demands and not from the perspective of the organisations.

“This is what this MOU signing signifies,” he said.  “With Huduma Centre’s 10 years of experience in customer service and KSG’s mandate of training, the two present a programme that will affect the entire public service. 

Huduma Kenya is a Kenya Vision 2030 flagship project established vide Gazette Notice No. 2177 of April 4, 2014.

The mandate of the Programme is to transform Public Service Delivery to ensure access to efficient, effective and citizen-centric services through One-Stop-Shop Platforms.

Huduma Kenya is celebrated for its transformative and citizen-centric approach to Public Service Delivery.

All staff deployed at the Huduma Kenya undergo an intensive Customer Service Excellence training whose objective is to transform the staff at the Huduma Kenya into customer-centric public servants with emphasis on service excellence.

The Kenya School of Government (KSG) was established as a State Corporation under the KSG Act, 2012.

It is also a Vision 2030 flagship project that was created to support the Government in the realisation of the national agenda through capacity development, research, consultancy and advisory services as well as public outreach programmes.

KSG develops curricula that enhance skills, competencies, and expertise at operational, supervisory, and managerial levels to achieve the highest possible standards of service delivery and customer satisfaction at both National and County Government levels.