Challenges of the Implementation of Performance Contracting Strategy at the National Aids Control Council, Kenya

Abstract

Performance contracting is one element of broader public sector reforms aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness while reducing total costs. A performance contract constitutes a range of management instruments used to define responsibilities and expectations between parties to achieve mutually agreed results. It is a management tool for ensuring accountability for results by public officials because it measures the extent to which they achieve targeted results. The study aimed at establishing the challenges of the implementation of performance contracting strategy at the National AIDS Control Council, Kenya. The study adopted a case study research design. The study utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through interview guide while secondary data was gathered from various sources including books, published articles and online journals. The primary data was analyzed qualitatively with the use of content analysis. The study established a number of challenges experienced in the implementation of performance contracting strategy at the National AIDS Control Council. The challenges include inadequate documentation, organizational structure and culture where some employees do not embrace performance contracting as a core activity, lack of reward system, inadequate human resource to support the division charged with performance management, and delays in disbursement of funds to support the identified activities as planned. Among the key recommendations from the study include staff sensitization on the importance of documentation and record keeping after each activity carried out within a given quarter, clarity on the kind of evidence required to meet the set standards, timely disbursement of funds to support the activities identified in the workplan, strengthen the human resource needs to support the division in charge of performance contracting and general sensitization and capacity building of all National AIDS Control Council employees on performance contracting. This study was limited to the National AIDS Control Council, a State Corporation in the Ministry of Health with a number of unique features which limit the direct generalization of the results. This therefore means that information from other State Corporations and other health sectors was not included in this study. Therefore the findings, conclusion and recommendations are only limited to the National AIDS Control Council. Primary data was collected through interviews and the researcher experienced challenges in securing appointments with the respondents due to other competing assignments out of their work stations. The interviews were rescheduled to accommodate the respondents work schedules leading to delays in data analysis. The researcher suggests for further research in performance contracting which is a key element of broader public sector reforms aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness while reducing total costs. Some public sectors in Kenya have not adopted performance contracting as a management strategy. Given the scope and limitations of this study, the researcher suggests that further research be carried out in all the State Corporations in Kenya. Also the researcher suggests that a similar study be carried out in other public sectors for comparison purposes.