Principles of public service delivery
Principles of public service delivery

The article discusses Principles of public service delivery, but first what is the meaning of public service delivery? Public Service is a service is anything that is provided by government. This is mostly a process of government taking care of people by providing services such as health, education, clean water and help in times of a flood or disaster. Another way is by financing provision of services, outsourcing through new public management and working with the private sector to provide Health care, Education, Social services for the poor and marginalized.

These are examples of service delivery

There are many services that government provides, the most important ones are:

  • Provision of water supply.
  • Sewage collection and disposal.
  • Rural electricity and gas supply.
  • Municipal expansion
  • Provision of health services.
  • Building roads
  • Disease vaccination
  • Storm water drainage.
  • Street lighting.
  • Building parks and recreation

Why public service delivery is important?

A public services system providing essential food, health services, and medical care to vulnerable sections of the population can bring the essentials of livelihood within easy reach of people whose lives may remain otherwise untouched by income growth. 

Read: What Can You Do With a Public Administration Degree in Canada?

Purpose of public service

These services often have challenges, and there is a need for additional services to keep a community running safely and efficiently. Entering public service provides the opportunity to become a steward of public policy and contribute to the improvements that are vital to the quality of life.

Principles of public service delivery

Six principles of public service

1. High standards of professional ethics

Every public officer shall maintain high, standards of professional ethics. For the purposes of the subsection, a public officer maintains high standards of professional ethics if that public officer must be one who;

(a) is honest ;

(b) displays high standards of integrity in that officer’s dealings;

(c) is transparent when executing that officer’s functions;

(d) can account for that officer’s actions;

(e) is respectful towards others;

(f) is objective;

(g) is patriotic; and

(h) observes the rule of law.

Where necessary, the public service, a public institution, or an authorized officer may require a professional association to inform the public service, public institution, or authorized officer whether or not a professional in the public service has committed an act of professional misconduct.

Read: Examples of Public Administration

2. Efficient, effective and economic use of resources

(1) A public officer shall use public resources in an efficient, effective, and economic manner.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a public officer fails to use public resources in an efficient, effective and economic manner if, in the process of their usage—

(a) the public officer has used the public resources in a manner that is not prudent;

(b) there is unreasonable loss;

(c) there is deliberate destruction;

3. Responsive, prompt, effective, impartial and equitable provision of services

The public service shall ensure that public services are provided—

(a) promptly;

(b) effectively;

(c) impartially; and

(d) equitably.

The provision of public services is not prompt where there is unreasonable delay. For the purposes of this section, “unreasonable delay” includes failure by a public officer to provide a public service within the period that may be provided for in the service charter of the public institution in which he or she is serving.

The provision of public services is ineffective if—

(a) there is unreasonable loss;

(b) public complaints against a public officer are made regarding the

provision of public services; or

(c) public grievances against a public institution are made regarding the quality of its services, and a public officer is found culpable of the loss, or the complaint or grievance against the officer is found valid, upon complaint pursuant

The provision of public services is not impartial or equitable if—

(a) a public officer discriminates against a person or a community during

the provision of public services; or

(b) a public officer refuses or fails to give accurate information during

provision of public services.

4. Work in institutions that provide public services

(a) develop standards for the responsive, prompt, effective, impartial, and equitable provision of services;

(b) facilitate the introduction of modern and innovative procedures, technologies, and systems for the delivery of its services;

(c) simplify its procedures and ease formalities related to access and delivery of its services;

(d) ensure the adaptability of public services to the needs of the public;

(e) ensure that its services are delivered closer to the users of the services; and

(f) develop mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of public service delivery.

5. Transparency and provision to the public of timely accurate information.

A public officer shall not—

(a) give information that the public officer knows or ought to know to be inaccurate; or Accountability for administrative acts
(1) Every public officer shall be accountable for his or her administrative acts.
(2) The public service, a public institution or an authorized officer shall ensure the accountability of a public officer by—
(a) keeping an accurate record of administrative acts of public servants in each public institution;
(b) requiring every public officer to maintain an accurate record of their administrative acts;
(c) maintaining a record of relevant documents prepared by a public officer; and
(d) establishing a mechanism to address complaints arising out of the administrative acts of a public officer.

6. Fair competition and merit as the basis of appointments and promotions

The public service, a public institution, or an authorized officer shall ensure that public officers are appointed and promoted on basis of fair competition and merit.

Read: Role of Public Administration in Policy Making

Despite subsection, the public service may appoint or promote public officers without undue reliance on fair competition or merit if—

(a) a community in Kenya is not adequately represented in appointments to or promotions in the public service or in a public institution;

(b) the balance of gender in public service or in a public institution is biased towards one gender;

(c) an ethnic group is disproportionately represented in public service or in a public institution; or

(d) persons with disabilities are not adequately represented in public service or in public institutions.

(3) Each public institution or each authorized officer shall develop a system for the provision of relevant information that promotes fairness and merit in appointments and promotion.

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The principles of public service ethics

According to Kinchin (2007) a renowned author and public administration educator, the ethics of public service is based on five key basic virtues; which include fairness, transparency, responsibility, efficiency, and no conflict of interest.

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