Challenges Facing Management of Services in Devolved Units of Government: a Case of County Government of Migori, Kenya

Abstract

Devolution is the practice in which the authority to make decisions in some sphere of public policy is delegated by law to sub-national territorial assemblies and entails transferring governmental or political authority. Devolution assumes that institutions closest to the citizens are most likely to meet and properly articulate needs of the citizenry. Among the major pitfalls of devolution is the concern for optimality in service delivery. The general objective of this study is to determine the challenges facing the management of services in Devolved units of Government in Migori County. The Specific Objectives include: to establish the devolution challenges facing the management of health care in devolved units of government; to find out the devolution challenges facing the management of capacity Building in devolved units of government; and to determine the devolution challenges that that influences supplier relationship management in County Government markets. The study employed a descriptive case study approach. The relationship sought here involved the service management and service delivery in the health sector and capacity building. The accessible target population was 140 respondents. This included 120 health supervisors/managers and 20 human resource employees at the Level 4 Migori Hospital and 115 respondents including 5 Market Supervisors, 3 market attendants, 2 market officials, 87 traders and 18 suppliers. Random sampling was used in selecting the respondents. This study used 20% of the accessible population to draw the sample size of 28 respondents to the study. A closed questionnaire was used as the instrument to collect data. The respondents were interviewed to provide relevant information to the researcher. The researcher enhanced reliability of the interview schedules and questionnaires by subjecting it to a pilot test. In this study, there was mainly quantitative analysis. From the findings, majority of the health practitioners were fairly attracted to their profession at 66.67%. They fairly agree that there existed posting and promotion procedures. The interesting part of this was that those procedures were not strictly followed. Hiring of staff, it was observed, was politicized and corruption was at play at every step of posting and promotion. Respondents were divided on the presence or absence of empowerment policies.  The respondents were skeptical about the county Government's and staff capacity to absorb about 15 of national government functions. They further noted that there lacked experienced legislative, fiscal and economic drafters.  It was concluded that politicization in posting and promotion of health staff and laxity on the part of the county Government were the cause of the County Government's lack of performance in the management of service. It can be concluded that one of the important challenges of service management was the lack of experienced legislative, fiscal and economic drafters. Nepotism, partisan favoritism was the cause of incompetent membership of such vital organs.  The following were the recommendations as established by the research. There was need to put in place mechanisms to ensure that promotion and posting of staff is done according to the laid down procedures. Selection to legislative, economic and fiscal organs of County Governments should be made from informed positions.