The 2020 Calendar of Cabinet and its Standing Committees
From president.go.ke
Following various media reports regarding the 2020 Calendar of Cabinet and its Standing Committees, it is notified for the general information of the public that His Excellency the President acceded to the request of Cabinet and granted approval to the 2020 Calendar of Cabinet and its Standing Committees, covering the Financial Year 2020/21.
The Cabinet Calendar is issued in recognition of the unique role of Cabinet as the Nation’s apex policy organ, and conscious of the role of Cabinet Committees and Technical Committees as the framework that institutionalizes the delivery cycle of State Projects and Programmes. The Cabinet Calendar is in tandem with the practice within the Commonwealth and heralds a new tradition in the management of Cabinet Business. The Nation’s Cabinet now joins Parliament and the Judiciary in implementing periodic working recesses. The inaugural Cabinet Working Recess, will commence Tomorrow, Monday 17th August, 2020 and end on Friday 28th August, 2020.
The introduction of the Cabinet Working Recess recognizes the busy schedule of Cabinet and the heavy demands of State Office placed on Members of Cabinet and their colleagues across the Senior Ranks of the Executive. Executive Order No. 1 of 2019 established the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee (NDICCC) as a standing committee of Cabinet, supported by the National Development Implementation Technical Committee (NDITC) comprising Principal Secretaries.
The Cabinet Committee (NDICCC) and the Technical Committee (NDITC) convene weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively. Last year, each of the Committees met 42 times. In 2020, notwithstanding the disruptions caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic; the Committees have thus far met 26 and 27 times, respectively.
In that regard, and as the Administration continues to implement the ambitious transformative agenda for the Nation dubbed as the “Big-Four”, the Cabinet Working Recess seeks to give Members of Cabinet a scheduled break from weekly Cabinet Committee Meetings; as well as time to conduct working tours, site visits and field engagements with members of the public regarding ongoing State Programmes and Projects.
Therefore, during the Working Recess:
- Cabinet, Cabinet Committees and Technical Committees will not have scheduled engagements unless otherwise directed by His Excellency the President for urgent business, cases of national emergency, or any other exceptional circumstances; and
- Members of Cabinet shall be allowed to take leave from office, subject to the prior approval of the President.
It is important to underscore that Members of Cabinet and their colleagues across the Senior Ranks of the Executive do not enjoy ‘leave’ in the traditional sense. Accordingly, His Excellency the President is convinced that short Cabinet Working Recesses will enable Cabinet to deliver on its mandate with renewed energy whilst being accorded an opportunity to connect with their families and our shared heritage. During the recess, the delivery of government services will continue uninterrupted.
The Head of State and Government remains steadfast in his confidence with the membership and capacity of his Cabinet and the Senior Ranks of the Executive; as well as their individual and collective ability to support in the delivery of his Agenda for the Nation, as he continues to steer Kenya further along the path of the most consequential years of transformation in our Nation’s history.
JOSEPH K. KINYUA, EGH
HEAD OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE
