Drivers of Corruption and Public Service Delivery in Devolved Systems of Government: Case of Kiambu and Nairobi City Counties, Kenya.
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Date
2024-04
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Although Kenya has experimented with devolution as a model to deliver effective and efficient public services, there is a glaring knowledge gap that interrogates drivers of corruption within devolved systems of government on public service delivery. The main objective of the study was to identify the effects of corruption drivers on public service delivery in Kiambu and Nairobi City counties. The research sought to examine the effect of organizational culture on public service delivery; to determine the effect of bureaucratic procedures on public service delivery; to identify the effect of information processing on public service delivery; to analyze the effect of county level policy instruments on public service delivery. The study utilized institutional theory, commons theory, policy networks theory, multiple-streams framework and a qualitative research approach. Authorizations were obtained from Kenyatta University, National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ministry of Education, County Commissioners and authorities from the two counties before embarking on the research. The study population consisted of 126 respondents who were staff working in strategic functions in the two counties, members of the public accessing services at the time of the study, suppliers to the two county governments, the minorities, youth, women, business leaders, religious leaders, the disabled, non-governmental organizations, and political leaders in both counties. Purposive and convenience sampling was done. In-depth interviews were held with 12 members of the public drawn from service delivery points in each county, 10 public officers from each county sampled from strategic functions of the executive arm of the government, namely, sub county administration, supply chain, authority to incur expenditure, finance, revenue, human resource, payroll, communications, public participation, and information communications technology. In-depth interviews were also carried out with respondents from eight strategic functions within the legislative arm of each county, namely, human resource, authority to incur expenditure, finance, supply chain, communications, information communications technology, public participation, and payroll. The study interviewed 24 suppliers of goods and services from each county, 12 from the executive and 12 from the legislature. Additionally, two focus group discussions were conducted in each county, consisting of members representing the following nine key stakeholder groups: minorities, youth, women, business leaders, religious leaders, the disabled, non-governmental organizations, and political leaders. Data analysis was undertaken using thematic analysis and the findings discussed under each objective. The study found that organizational culture, bureaucratic procedures, information processing and county level policy instruments, were key drivers of corruption in both counties and this affected the accessibility and quality of public services. The data also showed that bureaucratic procedures and information processing provided the institutional structures that enabled an organizational culture of corruption, to thrive. The findings further demonstrate the culture of corruption was made possible by the lack of public awareness and the failure to enforce county-level policy instruments. Thus, this study concludes that public awareness acted as a moderating variable between the drivers of corruption and public service delivery while county-level policy instruments acted as drivers of corruption, instead of helping prevent corruption. The researcher recommends that counties take public awareness and enforcement of county-level policy instruments seriously, if they are to overcome corruption challenges and improve the quality and accessibility of public services. The researcher has provided an anticorruption scorecard to assist the counties in this regard.
Description
A Thesis in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Management, Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences of Kenyatta University April, 2024
Supervisors:
1. Wilson Muna
2. Gitile Naituli