Story by Tamuka Charakupa
SPEAKER of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda has challenged Chief Directors and Directors within Parliament to prioritise measurable outcomes and strengthen accountability through the effective implementation of the Integrated Results-Based Management (IRBM) system.
Addressing an Integrated Results-Based Management Capacity Building Workshop in Kadoma on Saturday, Advocate Mudenda said Parliament must move beyond planning and focus on delivering tangible results that improve the lives of Zimbabweans.
“You must, therefore, internalise the principles on which IRBM rests, for they give the framework its transformative character. Firstly, the principle of results orientation requires that every activity be explicitly anchored in measurable outcomes that advance the institution’s strategic purpose. Secondly, the principle of integrated accountability ensures that planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation constitute a unified operational cycle rather than fragmented bureaucratic rituals performed in silos.
Thirdly, the principle of evidence-based decision-making mandates that institutional choices be grounded in verifiable data rather than institutional habit or conjecture. Fourthly, the principle of adaptive management recognises that high-performing institutions must be sufficiently agile to recalibrate strategies when evidence demands it. Fifthly, and concomitantly, the principle of citizen-centred accountability affirms that parliamentary performance must ultimately be adjudged by those it serves rather than by internal self-assessment alone,” he said.
Advocate Mudenda said the Parliamentary Secretariat should align its activities with the Institutional Strategic Plan and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
He underscored the importance of evidence-based decision-making, regular performance reviews and the adoption of performance contracts for senior officials.
“Furthermore, Parliament should commission independent evaluations at mid-term and at the conclusion of the ISP cycle to forestall the proclivity towards self-congratulation that invariably distorts honest performance assessment.
This need for institutional self-accountability is articulated by Justin Muturi, the former Speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, who observed that ‘A Parliament that cannot measure its performance cannot improve it and a Parliament that cannot improve itself cannot effectively hold others accountable’.
