Impact of Qualifications Alignment on Employee Job Satisfaction: Evidence from Integrated Employees of Defunct Local Authorities in Kericho County, Kenya

Abstract

In 2010, Kenya entered a new constitutional dispensation which established 47 counties from 175 local authorities. When the actual roll-out of devolution started in 2013, it emerged that the process was more cumbersome and complex than it had been envisaged initially. Various difficulties were reported during devolution which continue to plague many counties to date. Among the challenges noted was poor management and integration of human resources that erstwhile belonged to the defunct local authorities. Therefore, this article examines the effect of qualifications alignment as a strategy of employee integration criteria on job satisfaction, based on a study of the staff of redundant local governments among employees absorbed into the County Government of Kericho, Kenya. The study used descriptive survey design and it adopted mixed research methods whereby both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the sample. The target population of the study was four hundred and two employees. A sample of two hundred was selected and one hundred and forty (140) respondents participated in the study by filing and returning the questionnaires. Moreover, four key informant interviews were held. The researcher employed stratified sampling to recruit the study participants. Purposive sampling was used to select the four key interviewees. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and Correlation and multiple regression were used to test the hypothesis. The results were presented in narrative, tables and graphs. The findings of the study showed that, on qualifications alignment, 36% of the employees were dissatisfied while 64% were satisfied. The study concludes that most of the defunct local authorities' staff in Kericho County were satisfied with the integration on the basis of qualification alignment. The study makes a practical contribution towards addressing the deployment of employees integrated into the County Governments in Kenya. The County Government should carry out appraisal of all integrated employees from defunct local authorities to ensure that the minority who are not satisfied with integration have their concerns addressed appropriately in order to achieve 100% job satisfaction among the employees and to improve service delivery.