Tangibility of ICT System and Impact on the Quality of Service Delivery at Embu Huduma Centre, Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

Governments strive to provide quality services to the citizens by innovating new ways of service provision. Government of Kenya has pursued many public sector reforms such as Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) aimed at improving service delivery. Various innovations in service delivery have been implemented and include the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The introduction ICT in the Kenyan public sector was one way of safeguarding quality services provision. However, there are challenges in the provision of quality services. Reports show existence of complaints such as poor coverage of ICT infrastructure, long queues, costly services, long waiting time, poor record keeping, inadequate human resources, technical inexperience, digital divide, lack of public awareness and bribery. The study was done at Huduma Centre in Embu County with the objective of finding how tangibility of ICT system impacted on the quality of service delivery. The study was guided by Resource Base and the Systems theories. Service quality model was used. The study employed cross-sectional descriptive design. A census of 56 frontline employees was taken. Questionnaires were administered to the respondents who filled and returned to the researcher. Raw data gathered was coded, captured, cleaned and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software and presentations done using tables and graphs. Quantitative data was analysed and presented using the median and percentages. Stepwise regression was used for inferential analysis while Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis was done to determine relationships between variables. The study found that tangibility of ICT system had evidently impacted on the quality of service delivery at Embu Huduma centre. The study recommends that the management of Embu Huduma centre should maintain the high level of visual appeal and decrease congestion in the waiting bay. This is because tangibility was found to have a direct positive impact on the quality of service delivery.