Mockeries that are service charters.

Ask and ye shall be answered. I asked. He answered. I asked Sunny Bindra whether a lack of pride in ones work was one reason why the public service remains so ineffective at service delivery. I believe there are clues to what Mr Bindra has written in the past and I can't wait to read what he writes in the future on this subject.

There are certain devices that the public service has adopted that have become mockeries of their intentions. These are Vision/Mission statements and declarations of core values, better known as service charters. Coupled with a rush towards ISO certification by public institutions, one could read service charters and expect that the service delivery environment would have improved measurably since the election of the NARC government in 2002. One would be wrong.

Let me not dwell on pride and service delivery, but on whether or not the public service respects its "customers", that is, the public. Walk along Harambee Avenue, Parliament Road, City Hall Way and Taifa Road and the answer is "no." On this rough square are to be found Jogoo House, the National Treasury, Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Vigilance House, Harambee House, Harambee House Annexe, Parliament Buildings, City Hall, and the Supreme Court. These happen to be the most hostile public buildings in the Central Business District and they are being aped in their hostility by Times Tower, the Central Bank, Herufi House, Kencom, County Hall and Continental House.

All these buildings have taken over pavements in the name of "security." Swathes of these public commons have been cordoned off and pedestrians have been forced to make do with limited space, burgeoning numbers and oncoming traffic. The safety of the public is no longer a matter of concern so long as the ropes keep the fences around these building beyond the hands of the pedestrians and, theoretically, keep the public officers behind them "secure" from harm. It could be argued that able-bodied pedestrians can take their chances and we could be done with it. But what about those who face challenges, such as those who are visually impaired or those who are confined to wheelchairs? The hostility of the public service, both national and county, is quite profound.

Kenya signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons With Disabilities. It enacted the Persons With Disabilities Act, 2003. And the public service has done every thing to ignore the existence of the Convention and the Act. The proof is in all those approvals granted for buildings, roads, bridges, whatever, that ignore - erase - the existence of those living with disabilities. Simple things like access ramps and braille-enabled signs are notorious for their absence. Service charters and ISO certificates are a mockery of service delivery for those public institutions that have them and cannot make access for the disabled easier and have taken a hostile, confrontational approach to "security". Scrap them, or truly live up to their lofty goals.