Strategic Plan 2013-2017

This strategic plan is about development of statistics for the present and future of Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). It provides an easy, logical flow on background information about KNBS that culminates in determination of KNBS strategic focus areas, strategies and activities to be carried out. This is followed by allocation of resources, responsibilities and timeframes. The underpinning principle and theme is the development of statistics through value creation, appropriation and change. In this regard, KNBS has identified strategies to collaborate and partner with all stakeholders to create value that is critical to the development of statistics. Subsequently, KNBS will be keen on capturing much of that value created and appropriating it effectively and efficiently to grow KNBS to a competitive centre for statistical information at national, regional and global levels. In this plan, KNBS has chosen to perform a set of activities that will create value in a different way than in the past with a view to uniquely position the organization competitively. The competitiveness of KNBS is found in its rarity, inimitability and non-substitutability of its statistical services and products. Consequently, this plan comprises integrated and coordinated set of commitments and deliberate actions designed to exploit core competencies of KNBS in order to gain competitive advantage in development of statistics. In addition, the 2013-2017 KNBS Strategic Plan is anchored in the national blueprint of Vision 2030 and Medium Term Plan 2013-2017 (MTP II). This is in recognition of the fact that during the plan period, the Bureau is expected to play a critical role of enabling the Government to achieve its medium and long-term development plan through provision of credible statistical information for evidence-based policy decision-making and to guide resource allocation to the devolved units. Furthermore statistical information generated by the Bureau will enable the government in monitoring and evaluation of the implementation programmes under the MTP II. It is in recognition of the strategic importance of statistics in development that the Government through the MTP II has committed to support statistical reforms which include strengthening the National Statistical System and establishment of statistics offices in all the 47 counties to facilitate coordination of statistical programmes. The current and future direction of KNBS is informed by in-depth analysis of challenges facing the organization currently and during the last plan period. Development of statistics is faced by glaring statistical discrepancies arising from surveys and censuses that have not been carried out. As a result, there is lack of statistics baseline data in some key indicators of national development. Where statistics baseline figures exist, they may be out-dated statistics and hence need rebasing to present the time to reflect the current situation in economic social and political development. Weaving this challenging phenomenon closely, is the matter of quality of statistical information produced by KNBS amid the other quality inadequacy such as quality assurance framework, compliance to international fundamental principles of statistics and application of modern technology in data processing and sound statistical methodologies. Development and effective coordination of statistics at National and County Government levels are still a concern at KNBS. Other challenges that are operational in nature include value leakages through inadequate communication, dissemination and access, systems inefficiencies, organizational structural gaps and inadequate human capital for the Bureau.This strategic plan endeavours to address the above challenges by pursuing six strategic pillars namely: -aaddressing statistics gaps, improving quality of statistical information, development of statistics at national and county government levels, communication, dissemination and access to statistical information, human capital management and KNBS institutional reforms. It is expected that at the end of this plan‟s period, KNBS will deliver and demonstrate key results by fulfilling data requirements by national, county and international users to extent possible, producing statistical information that is relevant, credible, accurate, reliable and timely, creating and appropriating value through communication, distribution and access, developing and effectively coordinating statistics at national and county government, enhancing overall performance and productivity of KNBS staff and reforming KNBS to an efficient, sustainable and competitive organization. The financial requirement for this plan is ambitious. It will require approximately Ksh 27.41 Billion estimated at about Ksh 5.5 Billion annually to successfully implement this program. While the Government through The National Treasury has allocated slightly below Ksh1 Billion annually, the World Bank plans to spend nearly twice as much annually to support specific disbursement linked indicators in the plan while the balance will be solicited through other development partners and collaborators. In conclusion, this plan is structured into six chapters. Chapter One and Two provide the background information and situation analysis of KNBS. Chapter three scans the operating environment of KNBS using conventional and strategy frameworks such as study of KNBS past Activities, Value, Appropriation and change (AVAC) and Value, Rarity, Inimitability, Non-substitutability (VRIN) contexts. Chapter 4 provides a choice of strategic focus, objectives and activities. Chapter Five and Six provide the institutional framework for implementation and coordination, monitoring and evaluation, respectively. Logical frameworks are used to summarize complex relationships of strategic objectives, strategies, outputs and key performance indicators in matrix formats which are herein appended.