Stakeholder Consultations and Service Delivery in Meru County Government, Kenya

Abstract

The importance of public engagement in improving service quality has been recognized. Just as many studies focused on performance change and its impact on performance, there is a gap in research into how engagement by citizens affects the provision of services. This study aimed at closing this gap by establishing the effect of stakeholder consultations on service delivery in Meru County Government anchoring on the Citizen Participation. A descriptive research design was used to achieve the objective of the analysis. The study targeted members of county assembly, management staff, supervisors, junior staff and ward support staff who totaled to 150. A recommended sample size of 30% equivalent to 45 respondents was adopted. This sample was proportionately distributed then sampled through stratified random methods. The primary data used in the study was collected through a structured questionnaire then analyzed through a Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24 to obtain descriptive (Percentage, Frequency, Mean and Standard deviation) as well as inferential statistics (regression analysis). The study findings indicated that Stakeholder’s Consultations has a positive and significant effect on public service delivery in Meru (? = 0.416; P < 0.05) implying that a positive change in the unit of stakeholder’s consultations can result to a significant improvement in Public Service Delivery in Meru County. Based on this, it is recommended that there is need for the directors of communication in various counties to consider that stakeholder’s consultation is held to ensure there that there is improved responsiveness of citizen. The study suggests that the systems in the County should enable the members of public to be involved in county affairs. Stakeholder should involve development of constructive, productive relationships with members of public over the long term.

Key Words: Stakeholder Consultations, Service Delivery, Devolved Government Units, Kenya