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Technical and scale efficiency of public secondary schools in Kenya: a data envelopment analysis of counties
(Kenyatta University, 2024-06) Ongaya, Victor Elikana
Kenya is working towards achieving a rapidly growing upper-middle income economy status by 2030. Education and training have been identified as among the enablers of this vision and have subsequently seen their public spending sustained at above 4% of the GDP over the last decade. Although there have been deliberate efforts which have yielded tremendous progress towards improving access to public education in the country over the years, there still remain direct challenges facing public secondary education. Notable among them is the coexistence of overutilization and underutilization of educational resources, and significant disparities in academic achievements of students across the 47 counties. This points to inefficiency in public secondary education, whose determinants are unknown. This study therefore sought to fill this gap by making use of the data envelopment analysis model approach to assess the technical efficiency levels of public secondary schools in Kenya and their determinants. The model was estimated using secondary cross-sectional data on one output and three input variables for the 2019 academic year, collected from public secondary schools across the country and using the 47 counties as decision making units. The output variable used was the number of form four candidates who scored a mean grade C+ and above in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations. The inputs used were the county student-teacher ratio, county textbook-student ratio and county average school size. Results revealed that public secondary schools were inefficient, and could improve their efficiency by 51% using the available resources; there was a huge variability in efficiency levels of public secondary schools across the counties; public secondary schools were operating sub-optimally, and could improve on their unutilized capacity by 11.1%; counties with more secondary schools were more efficient than those with fewer secondary schools, and also counties with higher literacy rates were more efficient that those with lower literacy rates. Gender parity index and county aridity level were not found to significantly affect inefficiency The study recommends that policies that will ensure effective management of public schools, for instance benchmarking, should be implemented by the Ministry of Education. It also recommends opening of more secondary schools by the Ministry of Education in counties with fewer schools to encourage competition. The study additionally recommends inclusion of literacy programs into other community focused programs being funded by both the government and nongovernmental partners, and application of technology to promote continuous learning among communities, especially those in the ASALs.
Effective employee participation and service delivery in Embu County Government, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2021-03) Njuguna, Maureen Muthoni
It was envisioned that devolution would take governance to the grassroots and enable an enhance employee participation in decisions making and over sighting which would potentiality translate to efficient utilization of resources as well as better, reliable and efficient public services to the citizens. With all these in place, it would be expected that Kenyans would have already started benefiting through improved service delivery in the counties. However, despite the fact that the creation of county governments ‘promised’ Kenyan citizens better lives ahead, citizens in Embu County are yet to obtain these benefits. The study aimed to evaluate the impact on service delivery in Embu County Governments in Kenya from employee consultation, to identify the influence of employee delegation on service delivery in Embu County Governments in Kenya, to establish the influence of joint decision making on service delivery in Embu County Governments in Kenya and to find out the influence of collective bargaining on service delivery in Embu County Governments in Kenya. The study was guided by goal setting theory and two factor theory. Descriptive research design was used. Primary data was collected through the use of questionnaire. Data was analysed through descriptive methods. Inferential analysis was done to show the correlation between variables. Data were presented in tables and figures. Ethics were considered by ensuring that confidentiality was maintained and citations was done. The result indicated employees are regularly reassigned, service quality is connected to employee consultation levels, and the county has formed positive relationships with its clients. Employee consultation participation was specifically related to the delivery of services in a number of areas, including productivity and employee satisfaction. The results indicate that management did not give workers the authority to make decisions about how their jobs were handled, that working conditions were not conducive to employee involvement, and that employee job rotation was not regular in all departments. The results show that collective decision-making in the county had a huge effect on how everyday work was conducted, how daily work activities were arranged, how working time was organized and planned, how health and safety was considered, how the county made financial decisions, and the quality of services provided in the organization. The findings on collective bargaining showed that Embu county government management rarely consults trade union leaders on changes in staff levels, that there is little coordination between the union and management, and that changes in work procedures are introduced with minimal consultation with the union. The study concludes that relationship between employee consultation and service delivery in the county was positive and significant. The study concludes that the relationship between employee delegation and service delivery in the county was positive and significant. Based on study results, the study concluded that the relationship between joint decision making and the service delivery in the county was positive and significant. The study concluded that the relationship between collective bargaining and service delivery was positive and significant
Academic Engagement as A Predictor of School Completion Intention of Pupils in Upper Classes in Primary Schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2024-05) Muthengi, Deborah M.
Despite increased enrollment following FPE, primary school education has continued to face the challenge of many pupils not completing school in Kenya. In Tharaka Nithi, particularly, Tharaka North Sub County, the issue of pupils not completing school is worrisome as reflected by educational statistics from area. Failure to complete school poses a considerable challenge not only to the individual pupil but also to the Kenyan society at large. Academic engagement is becoming an increasingly debated concept for conceptualizing learners’ educational success. Relevant studies that have concentrated on pupils’ characteristics such as academic engagement and its connection to pupils’ decision to quit school are particularly scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the link between academic engagement and intention to complete school among primary school pupils in Tharaka Nithi County. Guided by social cognitive theory and using correlational design this study targeted all the 12,250 pupils in the 63 primary schools in Tharaka North Sub-County. A stratified sample of 295 pupils in class six, seven and eight filled the questionnaires. Research instruments were piloted using a sample of 60 pupils from one school that was exempted during the actual data collection period. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential techniques. The results revealed a significant positive moderate correlations between cognitive academic engagement (r (285) = 0.50, p < 0.01), behavioural academic engagement (r (285) = 0.40, p >0.01), emotional academic engagement (r (285) = .39, p < .01) and school completion intention of pupils in upper classes. Regression analysis revealed that cognitive, behavioral and emotional dimensions of academic engagement significantly predicted school completion intention (F (3, 281) = 38.60, P = .00), and they jointly accounted for 29% of variability in school completion intention. Cognitive academic engagement had the greatest weight followed by behavioural academic engagement and with emotional academic engagement having a non-significant contribution to school completion intention. It was concluded that pupils’ academic engagement is significant in explaining and predicting primary school pupils’ intention to leave school. Therefore, schools and stakeholders in general should come up with interventions targeted at improving pupils’ academic engagement so as to raise their intention to complete school.
Audit Committee Characteristics and Performance of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2023-10) Salenoi, Hudson Oloishuro
Worldwide, the effectiveness of the government plays a significant role in fostering economic growth within a nation. This is because the government is responsible for nurturing a skilled workforce, creating a business-friendly regulatory and investment climate, and developing the necessary infrastructure for the flow of goods and information. In this context, the audit committee serves a vital function by overseeing and helping the board monitor an organization's responsibilities, making their role crucial in ensuring sound financial management. In Kenya like other developing countries, the public expectations and priorities are changing. Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector through performance measurement has been widely acknowledged as essential. Despite a growing demand for public services, the prevailing financial limitations force numerous public organizations to accomplish their goals with fewer available resources. However, these can only be assured through effective auditing of the public sector. Recently, the government of Kenya has recommended the constitution of audit committees of all government ministries. The purpose of the research is to explore how audit committee qualities affect the IEBC's performance in Kenya. The specific objectives were to determine the effect of audit committee member qualifications, size, independence and gender diversity on the performance of the independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in Kenya. The study was anchored to the agency theory, Stewardship Theory and the policeman theory. An explanatory research design was chosen to achieve the study's objectives. The population of study was the management staff at the IEBC secretariat who total to 129. This consisted of 129 respondents. A sample of 65 respondents, constituting 50% of the target population, was randomly selected for this study. Primary data was collected utilizing self-administered semi-structured questionnaires. This analysis was helped by the employment of SPSS software. The findings were disseminated using various visual aids such as tables, charts, graphs, frequencies, and percentages. The research findings from this study offered an opportunity for individual parastatals and the public sector to assess their audit committee characteristics in comparison to other entities within the same sector in the country. This assessment enabled them to identify both the strengths and weaknesses in their audit committee practices.
Enterprise resource planning integration and sustainability of academic processes of the universities in the coastal region, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2024-06) Mutua, Muli Stanley
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are popular with large organizations spanning across big towns and cities in the world and not leaving out universities as institutions of higher learning. The purpose of ERP systems in the universities is to automate, customize and streamline the flow of information in their academic processes which comprise of student records, admissions, student finances, examination until graduation. The general objective of this study was to investigate enterprise resource planning integration and sustainability of academic processes in the coastal region, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the effects of data security, information storage, management support and ERP infrastructure and sustainability of academic processes of the universities in the coastal region, Kenya. The study was anchored on resource-based view, technology acceptance model, diffusion of innovation theory and sustainability theory. The target population were 11 universities in the coastal region. The study employed census sampling design to sample 100 IT specialists from the 11 universities. In this study, descriptive research design was used. The study established that Data Security, (β= 0.187) and Information Storage, (β=0.208) positively impact sustainability of academic processes at 0.05 alpha. Similarly, it was noted that Management Support (β= 0.271) and ERP infrastructure (β= 0.333) statistically influence sustainability of academic processes. An important aspect that must be taken into account for a business to be successful is data security. Therefore, for successful cyber security preparation and reaction, a knowledge of data risk categorization is crucial. An organization's efficiency is correlated with its information storage capacity. Thus, in order to understand the volume of work being done, the capacity of data storage systems in a corporation must be established. The achievement of organizational goals depends heavily on management support. As a result, management must possess inherent abilities in motivating and supporting employees. A reliable ERP infrastructure is a key element in an organization's performance. This implies that improving organizational effectiveness through the integration of effective ICT networks. The ERP system can be seen as a tool for increasing competitiveness, strengthening organizational performance, and attaining business goals. This study recommends that data security needs to be appropriately handled by individuals who have the knowledge and abilities to safeguard and operationalize organizational data. The development of a strong ICT infrastructure is essential for a business's operations to be successful. Thirdly, management must have plans for the professional growth of staff members in order to boost business success. The significance of information technology architecture is crucial to improving organizational productivity. This validates the necessity for businesses to put in place a solid information technology infrastructure that will enable them to accomplish a range of organizational objectives and surpass their competitors financially