New open space public offices to tame corruption

• Adopt transparent design, institutions funded by the Exchequer told

Government ministries and parastatals are to spend billions of shillings to open up their offices in a new system aimed at fighting corruption.

Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura has directed that all institutions funded by the Exchequer remove interior office partitions and adopt the modern work station model.

The system, where staff in an office sit in an open space and can see one another across the full length, is expected to limit underhand dealings.

The new plan to be implemented over the next two financial years will also affect local authorities, state corporations, and commissions such as the Public Service Commission, the Independent Interim Electoral Commission, and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

According to the circular, the new plan will be implemented between the next financial year and the 2011/12 period.

The Nation established that some offices like the Education Ministry’s Jogoo House had already started adopting the new structure.

New government buildings will also be constructed following the new office arrangement.

“All public offices will be remodelled to ensure that open plan spaces and work stations are created in every ministry, state corporation, and local authority,” said Mr Muthaura.

“No exceptions to this rule will be allowed,” he said.

Mr Muthaura was implementing a directive issued by President Mwai Kibaki when he addressed permanent secretaries and accounting officers at an anti-corruption workshop in Nairobi in February.

Mr Muthaura said the system would affect offices occupied by staff below job group S.

In job group S are staff designated as directors. This means that those below S, including senior deputy directors, would have their offices opened up.

Even then, the circular said, offices for staff above job group S would have transparent partitions and glass doors.

The plans will mirror the new TSC Centre building which was completed last year at Upper Hill, Nairobi.

The order was sent to permanent secretaries, chief executive officers of state corporations, and staff with authority to incur expenditure, including district commissioners.