Determinants of Resource Allocation Among County Goverments in Kenya:

Abstract

Devolution as a new system of governance in Kenya embraces the principle of subsidiary which advocates for the transfer of responsibilities and decision making powers from the central government to the local governance units. The general objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of resource allocation among county governments in Kenya using a case of Machakos County. To achieve this objective, the specific objectives included: determining the effects of corporate governance on allocation of resources in Machakos County government; establishing the effects of procurement policies on allocation of resources in Machakos County government; finding out the effects of staff competency on allocation of resources in Machakos County government and establishing the effects of technology on allocation of resources in Machakos County government. The study adopted a descriptive design. The population of the study was 800 staff working in the Machakos County government offices. A proportionate sample size of 121 respondents was selected from the entire population of 800 staff of Machakos County government. The study used descriptive statistics and inferential analysis to establish the relationship between the variables. The study found out that it is the stewardship responsibility of corporate directors and the management team to provide oversight and direction, governance is concerned with the processes, systems, practices and procedures, public procurement is the main process through which the government operates and spends public money that was collected by the revenue authority, the staff working within the procurement department must be very competent in handling the activities of this department and use of technology would help public authorities to provide excellent service in an effective and transparent manner. The study concludes that the procurement policies and regulations has reduced the speed with which goods and services are procured, increased the level of transparency among Government offices, improved utilization of funds in the County Government operations and improved utilization of funds in the County Government operations, technology is transforming the way resource allocation should be performed and that given the limited resources available to county governments, policy and decision makers require a framework for prioritizing needs and objectives of the county and thereafter allocating the required resources. The study recommends that the county government comes up with strategies that will enforce stricter penalties on officers found to have engaged in corruption, county government should organizes employee trainings and workshops to train them on technical skills and invest more in ICT which is turning to be a commanding force in the modern world.