Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria is speaking out against “terrible” bureaucracy in the public service which he says is partly to blame for poor service delivery by the government.

Kuria, who is among the ministers President William Ruto did not re-appoint following his dissolution of the Cabinet last month, said this on Monday while reflecting on his time as CS for Public Service and previously Trade.

“It is terrible! Terrible! The bureaucracy in government is terrible! Sometimes you want to do the right things and wonder if those people care… in the Ministry of Trade and Investments, for example, you go to investors who have places to take their money and convince them, and they choose Kenya… and you think you have bagged them, but when you come home…” Kuria told Citizen TV’s Monday Report program.

“Some spend months mark-timing, travelling to and from, and those are the investments supposed to create jobs. It makes me sad, really sad about this country.”

He said had experienced “sabotage” from junior public servants who he claimed make it hard for a CS to implement key programs and trade deals with foreign investors.

“It is like some people in government are trained on how to say ‘No’… sometimes you are sabotaged by accounting officers and directors who take their sweet time. They start with the answer ‘No’ and then draft the reasons,” Kuria said.

“I hope the new set of Cabinet is going to find an environment where people want to do the right things,” the former CS said, telling public servants: “If you don’t change the way you are doing things, even this Cabinet will not succeed.”

Kuria, while steering clear from discussing why he thinks President Ruto did not re-appoint him, said he plans to lead a private life moving forward.

“I really want to live a private life. I consider this to be my exit interview,” he said.

Nonetheless, Kuria said he was proud of the work he had done in less than two years as a minister, adding that with time, Kenyans will appreciate his performance.

“Turning the trajectory of a country takes a lot of time… I draw a lot of inspiration from the work I did as MP for Gatundu South; in the fullness of time, I know that I will be vindicated and for that reason, I know that my reward with the people of Kenya and most certainly with God is a deferred promise,” he said.