Greenleaf Center Hosts Kenyan Official

The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership at Seton Hall University (the Center) hosted the Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of Kenya (GOK), the Honorable Mercy Wanjau, on March 22, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey. The purpose of the gathering was to explore options to build upon a 2023 pilot designed to expose top Kenyan government officials to the fundamentals of Servant Leadership. The pilot was conducted in the form of a virtual workshop series funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which enabled a class of principal secretaries to enhance efforts to improve the national government’s capacity to deliver high quality services.

Principal secretaries are responsible for providing oversight of government operations via cabinet level ministries that ultimately impact the lives of millions of Kenyan citizens. The servant leadership sessions addressed such topics as the fundamentals of the philosophy, characteristics and behaviors of leaders who practice this approach, as well as various facets involved for organizational and institutional reforms. Mrs. Wanjau was fortunate to attend the majority of the pilot workshops. This workshop experience helped to initiate several sorely needed GOK reforms, including measures that create greater levels of accountability and transparency. The principal secretaries were also engaged in an effort to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations.

The March meeting identified several opportunities to build on the 2023 partnership. Secretary Wanjau highlighted the need for principal secretaries to revisit Servant Leadership concepts and practices shared during last year’s pilot. She also suggested that newly appointed principal secretaries receive exposure to the philosophy. Moreover, Mrs. Wanjau stressed the importance of cabinet ministers and other key GOK decision makers taking part in servant leadership conversations to accelerate national efforts to achieve multi-year service delivery goals and milestones.

The Secretary’s visit was timely in light of the Center’s featuring of Mary Kimoyne, Director of Government and Public Reforms, Government of Kenya, during its Women’s History Month webinar celebration. Immediate next steps include the Center and the GOK finalizing workshop content, as well as aligning the availability of cabinet ministers and principal secretaries with Greenleaf’s fall program calendar.

“This continued partnership with the Greenleaf Center will strengthen our efforts to bolster Kenya’s vital work to improve the lives of our citizens,” stated Secretary Wanjau.

“Secretary Wanjau and her colleagues should be commended for their efforts to institutionalize the practice of servant leadership throughout their national government. This work stands to benefit the citizens of Kenya for many years to come.” Said Reginald Lewis, the Center’s Executive Director, Adjunct Professor, University Core, Seton Hall University.