The Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Human Capital Development, Justin Muturi, Monday officially launched the 2024 Huduma Kenya Customer Service Week during his first visit to the Huduma Kenya Secretariat, the Huduma Contact and Tele-Counselling Centre, and the GPO Huduma Centre.
In his address, Muturi praised Huduma Kenya’s transformative impact on public service delivery, noting the program’s significant role in making government services more accessible, convenient, and dignified for all Kenyans.
“Huduma Kenya has reshaped how the public interacts with government services,” said CS Muturi. “We now have four key service delivery platforms – Huduma Centres, Huduma Mashinani Outreaches, the Huduma E-platforms, and the Huduma Contact & Tele-Counselling Centre—that provide citizens with equitable access to essential services.”
The theme for this year’s Customer Service Week, “Above and Beyond,” underscores the government’s commitment to delivering services that exceed citizens’ expectations.
The Cabinet Secretary emphasized the need for public servants to demonstrate compassion, respect, and efficiency in their daily interactions with wananchi.
During his visit, Muturi outlined Huduma Kenya’s ambitious plan to roll out 290 Sub-County Huduma Centres across the country as part of the Kenya Vision 2030 and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
He stressed the importance of deploying more government services at the Huduma Centres to ensure citizens are not forced to travel long distances to access essential services.
“We are working to make sure that services like renewing a driver’s license are available in more Huduma Centres. Currently, National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) services are only available in 15 out of 57 centres. This must change,” Hon. Muturi remarked, adding that talks with the NTSA were already underway to expand their service footprint.
The revamped Huduma Contact and Tele-Counselling Centre was also highlighted as a critical tool in the future of government service delivery, with its enhanced capacity to handle more queries and provide comprehensive information on government services.
Citizens can now dial 1919 to access a range of services without the need to visit a Huduma Centre in person.
However, despite improvements, Muturi noted that 180,000 uncollected identity cards, 47,000 driving licenses, and 54,000 birth certificates remain at various Huduma Centres, urging Kenyans to collect their documents.
As Customer Service Week celebrations kick off, Muturi commended Huduma Kenya staff for their exceptional dedication, which has made the program a trusted interface for government services.
“We are building a public service that is not only efficient but also empathetic and responsive to the needs of every Kenyan,” Muturi concluded.
Customer Service Week runs from October 7 to October 13, with various activities planned across the 57 Huduma Centres to appreciate both customers and staff.
