Recommendations to New Water Sector Institutions on Organizational Structures and Human Resources Management

The assignment was conducted in three phases by two advisors in Human Resource Management and Change Management:
1. Preparatory phase where previous reports were examined and all available relevant studies on the sector done since the enactment of the Water Act, 2002 were studied. These include:
• Macroeconomic initiatives e.g. Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation Strategy (ERSWEC) and Achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Kenya: A Needs Assessment & Costing Report etc
• The Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1999 on National Policy on Water Resources Management and Development
• Strategic Plan for the MW&I
• Water Act, 2002
• The Water (Plan of Transfer of Water Services) Rules, 2005
• Ministry’s Human Resource Management Strategy
• Staffing studies previously done by the new-look MW&I and some of the Boards/Authorities

2. Management of Inter-Ministerial Committee members Retreat for the water sector reforms was to verify, refine and/or validate the proposals made by the MWI and its Boards/Authorities/Corporations with regard to their proposals on (i) Organisational structures and (ii) staffing levels following the implementation of the water sector reforms. The retreat was also to recommend the (iii) criteria to be applied in the resultant staff deployment/redeployment within the ministry and to the new institutions. The retreat was attended by the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee members and invited human resource management consultants (local and international). The following guidance were given:
• Assistance in formulating the criteria and principles that can be applied in determining the appropriate organizational structures and staffing levels for the new-look Ministry and Water Service Boards/Authorities;
• Assistance in examining the various proposals made by the new-look Ministry Water Service Boards/Authorities on the structures and staffing levels and advise as appropriate;
• Guidance on the appropriateness of the criteria and guidelines for staff deployment/redeployment to the new-look Ministry and the new institutions;
• Assistance in producing the draft report containing recommendations on structures and staffing levels of the new-look Ministry and new water institutions and link them to the Technical Committee’s Work Plan; and
• Advice on the appropriateness of the proposed redundancy package based on the co-ordinates of the safety net packages implemented by Government in previous redundancy exercises.

3. Preparation for development of final suggestion to Criteria and Procedures for redeployment to positions in the New Water Sector in Kenya, Proposal for Project Plan for implementation of the Organizational Structures and Staffing of those Structures.
• Participation in meetings with the Inter-ministerial Technical Committee; Participation in Inter-Ministerial Policy Committee meeting for decision on proposal of Organizational Structures and Staffing.
• Participation in meetings with the ICE committee and advice on the ICE plan including the proposed Counselling activities.
• Recommendation to complete the development of Job Descriptions Outline and Performance Indicators for all authorities using the Water Resources Management Authority’s as a template. This Job Description should be used in posting the positions for redeployment.
• Recommendation of a One-page application form to be used in the staffing of the authorities.