The Relationship Between the Level of Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Government Owned Commercial Banks in Kenya

Abstract

Presently, most of the state owned commercial banks in Kenya are having issues with their financial performance with majority of them posting negative cash flows and losses. The study therefore sought to determine relationship with corporate governance and financial performance of state owned commercial banks in Kenya. The adopted design was descriptive. A total of 6 banking entities were targeted and census was used. Information was gathered from auxiliary sources covering a period of eight years (2011-2018). The analysis was done descriptively and inferentially. It was shown that board independent, board gender diversity and audit committee all have postive and significant effect and relationship with financial performance. The study concludes that levels of corporate governance have postive and significant relationship and effect on financial performance. The study recommends that for any firm that seeks to maximize the wealth of shareholders, corporate governance is a critical factor to focus on. It is important that the audit committees are made to be as independent as possible so that they are able to dispense their role and responsibilities effectively as outlined in corporate governance statements and policies in most organizations.