Effect of the Presidential Digital Talent Programme Innovations on Public Service Delivery

Abstract

The Government of Kenya aggressively established public sector reforms that were meant to overhaul the process through which public institutions operate to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and to be more responsive to the needs of both government and the citizenry. The objective of this research was to explore the effect of innovation on public service delivery in Kenya with a focus on the Presidential Digital Talent Programme. The study aimed at furnishing the researcher with profound knowledge on the relationship between innovation and public sector performance. The qualitative research method was used that utilized a case study design. Primary data was collected through interviews with 16 interns from Presidential Digital Talent Programme. The interview guide was divided into three sections. Section one covered general information about the interviewees, while the second section captured information about the innovations developed by the PDTP interns. Section three was used to establish the effect that the PDTP innovations had on public sector organizations operations and public service delivery. The data collected from the study was discussed and reviewed using content analysis. The results of the study indicated that the PDTP programme had received 50 innovative solutions that were targeted towards improving public service delivery. Only 10 of these solutions were reported to have been successfully implemented. The results also indicated that most of the interns reported to have encountered challenges in the process implementing their innovative solutions to the various public institutions. A large number of the respondents agreed that the PDTP innovations that had been successfully implemented had improved public service delivery. However, lack of adequate support for the PDTP innovations from the public institutions’ management, employees and PDTP programme management was highlighted to have caused many innovation projects in the programme to be abandoned. After reviewing the data collected it can be concluded that diffusion of innovation within the public sector in Kenya is still slow. The PDTP interns while deployed to various government institutions had identified problems and gaps in government and proposed or developed various innovative solutions to these problems. However, the results from the study showed that very few of these innovative solutions had been applied by public institutions. The lack of implementation was evidence that there existed certain barriers and constraints in the public sector that stifled innovation. The PDTP programme may have made an effort to enhance delivery of public services through innovation. The programme however, has not provided adequate support to the interns to ensure that their innovative solutions are successfully deployed.