Effectiveness of County Public Service Boards on Staff Acquisition in Kenya
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Date
2025-09
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
In Kenya, the introduction of devolved governance has seen county governments gain greater autonomy in staff acquisition through the establishment of County Public Service Boards (CPSBs). These boards are tasked with recruiting, selecting, and appointing staff to county public offices, a responsibility that was previously managed centrally. While decentralization was intended to enhance responsiveness and flexibility in staffing at the county level, many CPSBs face challenges in effectively acquiring staff. Therefore, the study specifically sought to assess the effect of recruitment process, the effect human resources planning, the effect of legal framework compliance and the effect of the interview process on staff acquisition by CPSBs. It was anchored on the Agency and human capital theories. The study employed descriptive design targeting all CEOs and Board Chairs of CPSBs in Kenya. The target population for this study consisted of individuals involved in staff acquisition processes within the County Governments in Kenya. Specifically, it focused on the 47 CPSBs in Kenya who are legally mandated with recruitment, human resource planning, legal compliance, and interview processes in Kenya's county governments. For quantitative data, descriptive statistics was applied through SPSS. These statistics included metrics that included frequencies, means, percentages, and standard deviations, allowing for a comprehensive summary of the data. For qualitative data, thematic analysis was used to analyse responses from open-ended questions or interviews. This process involves familiarising with the data, coding the responses into meaningful categories, and identifying themes that align with the study’s objectives. It involves counting responses, calculating response percentages, and analysing the information that is aligned with the goals and findings of the study. The study established that recruitment process, human resources planning, legal framework compliance and Interview process all significantly and statistically so, affected staff acquisition by CPSBs in Kenya (P<.05).From the findings, it is recommended that the recruitment strategies should be aligned with the organisation's strategic objectives and workforce needs; CPSBs should regularly review and update recruitment practices based on data analysis and feedback; put a lot of focus on accurately assessing the current workforce, forecasting future needs, developing robust succession plans and implementing effective performance management systems; and they should also ensure compliance with all the Public Employment regulation. Additionally, apart from adapting the best interview practices and guidelines, the CPSBs in various countries in Kenya should also establish a standard rating system that is able to pair standardised interview questions with standardised evaluation criteria.
Description
A Project Report Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration of Kenyatta University, September 2025.
Supervisor
Dr. Weldon Kibet Ng'eno