Gachagua remarked that the PDMIS will reduce scenarios of directives issued by President William Ruto which have not seen the light of day.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday, September 2 launched the Presidential Directives Management Information System (PDMIS) and the Foreign Travel Information Management System (FOTIMS) in what is viewed as an integral step in improving transparency, accountability, and efficiency in service delivery and decision-making.
The two digital solutions were launched at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi and are aimed at improving efficiency and accountability in the handling of presidential directives and the processing of foreign travel clearances for senior ranks of the executive.
Speaking during the commissioning, Gachagua remarked that the PDMIS will reduce scenarios of directives issued by President William Ruto which have not seen the light of day.
President William Ruto’s presidential jet leaves the country on April 25, 2024. /PCS
“I am confident that by the end of the year, all the presidential directives so far issued will be audited, worked on, and implemented to the satisfaction of the people of Kenya.
“All of us given the privilege to serve have a solemn duty to dignify his office by making sure the pronouncements he makes across the country are implemented without fail,” he stated.
He added, “Where challenges are experienced in the implementation of such directives, as may happen in the course of any programme’s implementation cycle, then the same is easily flagged, adjusted, and promptly communicated to the public.”
On the FOTIMS, Gachagua hailed the system as one that will cut down on the misuse of funds directed to foreign travel.
He cited instances where all top executives travel and leave offices unattended and expressed his confidence that this new system will help track who is supposed to travel and who is not.
How It Works
“With this system, we will be more prudent and will rationalize those who are authorized to travel out on official duty and justify the use of public funds when outside the country,” he stated.
The system will also fast-track delivery in the office of the president as all presidential directives will be dispatched exclusively via the PDMIS (Presidential Directives Management Information System) portal. With the system at work, no hard copies will be distributed.
Ministries and State Departments, as a result, will now be required to download scanned copies of directives through their respective portals.
At the same time, DP Gachagua said the dignity of the President should not be put into question by the failure to roll out the directives as envisaged, challenging government officers to fully implement presidential directives to avoid putting President Ruto’s authority into question.
The new systems come amidst backlash towards government officials over unhonoured directives and misusing funds in unnecessary foreign trips.
A report by the Controller of Budget dated April 2024 showed that Nairobi County spent over Ksh658 million on foreign travel during the first nine months of the financial year 2023/24 only.
President Ruto has been in the spotlight for too many foreign travels, with critics believing that he was misusing public funds through wanton travelling to different countries.
President William Ruto alongside First Lady Rachel Ruto and Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS) Musalia Mudavadi before leaving the country for Tanzania and Zimbabwe on April 25, 2024. /PCS
