Devolved Governance and Economic Security in Selected Counties in Kenya (2010-2018)

Abstract

Though the government of Kenya has been emphasizing on economic growth and development as a pathway to solving chronic poverty amongst the people of Kenya counties have continued to face economic insecurity thereby threating this agenda. Relatively little research has investigated the ways devolved governance can be used to enhance economic security. Accordingly, this study was designed to how examine devolved governance and economic security in selected counties in Kenya. The specific objectives were: to establish the role of County governance in enhancing economic security in Kenya, to examine the demerits presented by devolved governance to the economic security in Kenya and to establish the relationship between devolved governance and economic security in Kenya. The study was guided by the resource based theory and the fiscal decentralization theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The study target population was 4 Deputy Governors, 20 Members of the County (MCA) Assembly, and 5733 county staff comprising the management, senior management, middle management, and low management. The respondents were stratified into management, senior management, middle management, and low management. Proportionate and simple random sampling was used to select respondents who included 4, Deputy Governors, 20 MCA and 370 county staff. The data of the study was collected using the triangulation approach that involved questionnaires and interviews. The obtained data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative thematic approach. Simple linear regression analysis was used to determine the prediction between the devolved governance and alternative management models and the enhancement of multiple intelligences among students. Data was presented in tables arising from the data analysis techniques utilized in the study. The findings indicated that devolved funds have a positive and significant relationship on county’s economic Security (β1 = .170, P < 0.05). Thus the hypothesis (Ho1) was rejected.