Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has ordered all government ministries, departments, and agencies to ensure their communication channels are active and accessible to the public. Speaking during an inspection of government offices in Kisumu on January 29, 2026, he stressed that Kenyans are entitled to timely services and clear communication. He warned civil servants against unresponsiveness, including lateness at work.
During an inspection of government offices in Kisumu on Thursday, January 29, 2026, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku issued firm directives on government communication. He emphasized that all published contact details must be functional and attended to during official working hours. "If we have emails in our offices, those emails must be working. If they are not working, just remove those emails from our websites. Because they send information in some of those emails. But the response is not there," Ruku stated.
Ruku also expressed concern over lateness among civil servants. "So the people of Kenya are demanding that we be in our offices at the right time. So that they can also save time and can be able to plan themselves properly. When we are not in our offices at the right time, we send a very wrong signal," he added. He cited the State Department for Immigration as an example, noting that officers in regional offices in Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyeri, and Embu were at their workstations by 8 a.m. He said this culture of punctuality and responsiveness should be adopted across the public service.
Ruku instructed human resource managers under the Ministry of Public Service to enforce discipline and accountability. He warned that official email addresses listed on government platforms must be monitored and responded to, with inactive channels removed.
The directive forms part of broader government efforts to enhance efficiency, accountability, and responsiveness in public service delivery. Kenya has faced several instances of failed government communication channels, such as a 24-hour toll-free hotline for gender-based violence cases in 2018, which was non-functional for nearly two months. Investigations revealed it was managed by a single official who was not consistently available, with failures due to operational bottlenecks, delayed funding, and weak institutional capacity. Similarly, flood response teams in parts of Tana River County lacked effective communication systems, leaving residents without timely guidance.
