The Effects of Performance Contracting on the Delivery of Community Based Public Livestock Extension Services in Isiolo Sub-county, Isiolo County

Abstract

Although, the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development, embraced Performance Contracting in the delivery of community-based public livestock extension service since 2005/2006 financial year, there has not been any assessment carried out to document the effects of its implementation, experiences and lessons learnt. The outcome of such a study would potentially inform a review of the implementation process so far, and perhaps illuminate on aspects that need review moving forward. This study was designed to find out what Performance Contracting entails for both the County Directorates of Veterinary Services and Livestock Production in the MALFD, within Isiolo Sub-County, Isiolo County. The study employed purposeful research design, aimed at evaluating the benefits accrued from implementing PC as part of community-based public livestock extension services in the study sub-County. In addition, the study used snowballing approach to reach out to key informants, especially the farmers and agro-pastoralists. The primary data was from the MALFD extension staff and the benefiting farmers and agro-pastoralists, where questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and checklist were administered. Secondary data was sourced from relevant literature, including the Ministry‟s policy documents and reports. The researcher analyzed the data using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS, version 19 for Windows). The open-ended questions were coded according to major themes or issues. From the findings, the respondents indicated that integrating performance contracts into the activity plans of the Ministries/Departments, ensures there is consistency in decision-making as evidenced by a mean of 3.51 and a standard deviation of 0.954. The extension staff also said that performance contracting has guaranteed uniformity in the ministry‟s extension work, as supported by a mean of 3.62 and a standard deviation of 1.098. Further analysis of the results showed a mean of 3.77 and a standard deviation of 1.043, indicating that performance contracts is a key driver not only towards enhancing performance, but also in attaining the set targets. These study findings clearly show that performance contracting minimized wastage of public resources, enhances service delivery and bolster job satisfaction. It is the recommendation of the study that for effective performance contracting that positively impacts on the quality of livestock extension services, all employees should be fully involved the whole process, including the signing of performance contracts. Additionally, reliability and inventiveness need to be embraced for performance contracting to contribute towards minimizing wastage of public resources. Besides, performance contracting reduces red tape leading to improved service delivery and job satisfaction among extension workers, a critical factor in enhanced productivity.