President William Ruto has officially launched public and institutional consultations to pave the way for Kenya’s inaugural “State of Openness” report. The Head of State hailed the initiative as a major milestone in bolstering transparency, fostering public accountability, and rebuilding citizen trust in government institutions.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto stated that the upcoming report will establish a definitive national benchmark to measure transparency, evaluate institutional performance, and hold public officials accountable.
He emphasized that the findings will help identify critical structural gaps, ultimately guiding reforms to improve public service delivery.
To reinforce this commitment, the President highlighted the government’s aggressive digital transformation. Since 2022, digitized public services have scaled dramatically from a mere 350 to over 26,000. According to President Ruto, this massive transition has substantially streamlined bureaucratic efficiency, simplified access to services, and heightened administrative oversight.
The President further outlined a series of robust anti-corruption and governance reforms. These include the implementation of a unified digital payment system designed to curb revenue leakages, an electronic procurement (e-procurement) platform to ensure fiscal transparency, and a transition to highly competitive, merit-based hiring practices across all state corporations.
He also pointed to the recently enacted Conflict of Interest Act as a legislative cornerstone for restoring integrity in public leadership.
In addition to digital reforms, the President noted that transparency measures have been deeply integrated into the management of the National Infrastructure Trust Fund, backed by regulatory frameworks designed to enhance institutional autonomy.
To ensure the success of the evaluation, President Ruto directed all ministries, state departments, government agencies, constitutional commissions, and county governments to cooperate fully with the Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman) by submitting accurate, comprehensive, and timely data.
The ground-breaking “State of Openness” report is scheduled for release later this year. Once published, it is anticipated to be the first comprehensive national transparency index of its kind globally.
