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Monday, November 13, 2006

Bureaucratic Curse

Dr. George Ayittey (a prominent Ghanaian Economist) once wrote that African governments are good at creating bureaucracies. Kenya is a fine example of Dr. Ayittey’s observation. A look at our bureaucracies (what our government calls “Non-Gommercial State Organizations”) reveals how tax payers’ money gets wasted. It also makes me wonder how some of those organizations make Kenyans lives better. Check out the following list of fully operative bureaucracies and ask thyself two questions. What are their roles, and do their posh offices and gas guzzling cars deserve your tax Shillings?

Presidential Commission on Soil Conservation
Presidential Music Commission
Local Authorities Provision Board
Cost Development Authority
Central Agricultural Board
Pests Products Control Board
Radiation Protection Board
Film Censorship Board
NGO Coordination Bureau
Sisal Board of Board (Yes, that’s the name)

(Organizations’ names were borrowed from Privatization of State Corporations and Investments-- 2005 Sessional Paper)

2 comments:

coldtusker said...

These commissions are "political" obs that allow for salaries (aka bribes) for support...

Look at the kiruki commission that did a shoddy job but exonerated kamau (CID) thus allowing him to draw a pension!

The budget does not cater for these useless commissions thus creating inflation coz govt borrows money NOT for development but recurrent expenses e.g. new cars!

odegle said...

i have been battling with this question? what is the difference between business processes as defined by cooporates and bureaucrasies as defined by governments?

in our company we are trying to get the ISO certification. we have been told its all about processes and documentation. how things should be and must be done. the good thing is that we have IT in place and most of these processes follow a well defined work flow so even approvals are faster. i think the parastals and government agencies also have these same processes and procedures, only tht its not automated and so delays are always there.