Effectiveness of Communicating Using Service Charters: the Case of Kenya Film Classification Board, Nairobi County

Abstract

The basis for the Kenya Film Classification Board’s charter was to pass information to the service seekers about their rights and obligations, ensure timely service provision and guides the clients on how to seek redress when aggrieved. However, despite the implementation of the said service charter, evidence indicates that service provision is rated at average. The purpose of this study therefore, was to evaluate the effectiveness of communicating using service charters at the Kenya Film Classification Board. The study sought to assess the clients’ level of awareness on service delivery standards stipulated in the Board’s service charter; identify the communication channels used to publicise the service charter; establish whether the feedback mechanisms in place are effective and assess the general level of customer satisfaction with services offered by the organisation. Descriptive research design (survey method) was adopted in the study. The sample size of the study was 70 respondents (10 members of staff who were purposively selected and 60 service seekers who were selected conveniently from the Clients’ Register). Questionnaires were used to collect data from the service seekers and interviews were conducted to obtain data from the members of staff. Data source triangulation was used to ensure validity and reliability of the findings. The data was then analysed and presented in form of tables, pie and bar charts. The study established that it is not effective to communicate using service charters alone and hence should be complemented by other forms of communication. It emerged from the study that the service charter has not significantly raised clients’ awareness on the services offered at Kenya Film Classification Board due to inadequate publicity of the charter in terms of advertisements. The study also found out that the feedback mechanisms provided for by the service charter are ineffective as demonstrated by the low rate of complaints resolution. Subsequently, the study recommends that Kenya Film Classification Board should allocate adequate resources for carrying out a wide publicity of the charter and also devise ways to sensitize the clients and general public on the mandate of the organization, the range of services offered and the charges of the same. A simple and accessible complaints system and regular monitoring of implementation of the charter was also recommended by the study.