A new performance management cycle for the 2025/26 financial year has formally commenced within the tourism and wildlife portfolios following the signing of cascaded ministerial performance contracts designed to translate policy commitments into measurable departmental targets and tighter accountability across the two state departments.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano signed the agreements alongside Principal Secretary for Tourism John Ololtuaa and Principal Secretary for Wildlife Silvia Museiya, marking the conclusion of a vetting process completed in July and setting the operational tone for the financial year.
The cascading of performance contracts from the ministerial level to state departments reflects the government’s wider public sector reform agenda, which links strategic plans to quantifiable deliverables tied to annual performance assessments.
Under this framework, each department is required to align its work plans with national development priorities, with progress tracked through mid-year and end-year evaluations aimed at identifying gaps early and tightening execution discipline.
Within the tourism and wildlife sectors, the contracts are expected to cover conservation targets, product development milestones, revenue performance, and service delivery benchmarks.
“Every target signed today is a promise to the Kenyan people,” said Rebecca Miano, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife.
She stated that the objective is to convert strategic intent into action by aligning departmental outputs with national goals and instituting regular performance reviews to detect bottlenecks before they derail annual plans.
Tourism remains a key foreign exchange earner and a major employer across hospitality, transport, and conservation-linked enterprises, while wildlife management underpins both ecological sustainability and the country’s global tourism brand.
Performance contracting within the two state departments is therefore expected to influence not only administrative efficiency but also sector competitiveness, investor confidence, and conservation outcomes tied to protected areas and community conservancies.
“We are keen on building a culture of accountability,” said Miano.
Her remarks signal a policy direction anchored on measurable results, with mid-year performance assessments scheduled to evaluate progress against signed targets and recalibrate implementation where necessary.
For county governments, private sector operators, and conservation stakeholders, the contracts provide a clearer framework for engagement with national authorities, particularly where joint initiatives intersect with devolved functions and community-based wildlife management.
If executed with consistency, the performance framework could strengthen coordination between policy formulation and on-the-ground delivery, reinforce fiscal discipline within the two state departments, and sharpen focus on deliverables tied to Kenya’s tourism growth and conservation sustainability objectives for the 2025/26 financial year.
