Influence of Devolution Policy on Water Service Delivery in Samburu County, Kenya: a Case Study of Samburu Water and Sanitation Company (Sawasco)

Abstract

The service delivery sector has been characterized by the fact that most of the services provided in the country are government controlled. For example basic education is provided only by the government, so most factors that lead to service delivery improvements are either institutional or policy interventions that can be applied within public sector. The public sector has influence on service consumption and delivery due to its monopoly over resources that enables it to deliver goods, services and various facilities according to requirements within a limited scope. Devolution policy in Kenya is intended to create more local autonomy and economic opportunity for the people of Kenya. The devolution policy was created to expand and strengthen governance through enhanced fiscal authority, improved local service delivery and increased budgeting flexibility at the Kenyan Government level. This study evaluates impact of devolution policy on water service delivery at Samburu Water and Sanitation Company. The research objectives examined influence of public participation, devolved units and accountability on water service delivery at Samburu Water and Sanitation Company. The study was anchored on Institutional theory. Descriptive research was used. The study sample size was senior managers, middle managers, supervisors, and support personnel were included among respondents. Both descriptive and inferential analysis were done. The study used census technique. The analyzed data was presented in the form of figures and tables to facilitate explanation and understanding of the research findings. The study results revealed a positive and significant relationship between devolved units and water service delivery at SAWASCO, implying that increasing. The inferential findings demonstrated that public participation positively and significantly affects water service delivery at Samburu Water and Sanitation Company. The results show that an increase in accountability practices leads to improved water service delivery at Samburu Water and Sanitation Company. The study also recommends that the management of at SAWASCO and county government should focus more on devolved units practices such as releasing funds for water projects on schedule, curb financial fraud, allocate enough funds to water projects and recruit competent staffs as this will enable the company to achieve its set water service delivery targets and results. Another suggestion made by the study is that in order for SAWASCO to improve the quality of their water service delivery, more attention needs to be paid to strengthening accountability practices, such as ensuring that county project managers are open to public scrutiny and accountability questions and that county finance manager are willing to participate in fiscal audits and accountability.