CAPACITY BUILDING AND SERVICE DELIVERY AMONG NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICERS IN EMBU COUNTY, KENYA
CAPACITY BUILDING AND SERVICE DELIVERY AMONG NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICERS IN EMBU COUNTY, KENYA
Lucy Jemutai Towett - School of School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Public Policy and Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Heather Eddah Kipchumba - School of School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Public Policy and Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Kenya government continues to enhance service delivery to the public through improved coordination and optimal resource utilization. To do so, the government relies on the expertise of National Government Administration officers (NGAOs) mainly deputy county commissioners (DCCs), Assistant County Commissioners (ACCs), chiefs, and Assistant Chiefs to deliver its mandates to the public. The government also engages Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs on regular capacity building to ensure their skills remain at per. Besides these efforts NGAOs still demonstrate inadequate skills necessary to deliver effective services implying a potential disconnect between capacity building (training) and their needs. Therefore, the specific objective of this study was to determine the effect of training to service delivery among NGAOs in Embu County, Kenya. Methods: The study used a mixed method research design where it combined a survey (quantitative) and structured interviews with key informants (qualitative). Results: The study had a total of 148 participants out of anticipated 226 leading to 65.5% response rate. Among the participating Non-Governmental Administrative Officers (NGAOs), (84, 56.8%) held positions as assistant chiefs, (62, 41.9%) as chiefs, and (2, 1.4%) as assistant county commissioners. The findings indicated that only (57, 38.5%) of participated NGAOs have attended capacity building in the last 3 years. These results demonstrate a good number of NGAOs may have not attended capacity building program due to variety of reasons. Conclusion: There was insufficient recent capacity building training opportunities highlighting the effect of inadequate capacity building training on service delivery. Without recent training, NGAOs may lack updated skills and knowledge necessary for effective service delivery, potentially leading to inefficiencies or shortcomings in their performance.
