| dc.description.abstract | In the last three decades, the term good governance has become a common vocabulary in the
development discourse across the developing world which promised to bring about fundamental
changes in the political, administrative and economic structures of the developing world. The
role of the central government in the management of cities changed. Devolution has been
adopted in a number of countries as a guarantee against egocentric use of power and resources by
central government elites as well as a way to enhance the efficiency of service delivery, by
allowing for a closer match between governance of public institutions and the desires and needs
of local people. Governance is a relevant strategic matter for devolved counties as it determines
how they are directed, administered or controlled However, despite the devolution of the
government, there is still poor governance exhibited by stalled projects, poor management of
funds, corruption, bureaucracy, incompetence, white elephants, wastage of resources which has
affected the service delivery to the public in the counties. Therefore, there was need to determine
the extent to which good governance influences service delivery at the County Government with
a focus on the Metropolitan County Governments in Kenya. The main objective of this study
was to establish the extent to which effective corporate governance influences service delivery at
the Metropolitan County Governments, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to: find out the
extent to which accountability of staff influence service delivery at the Metropolitan County
Governments; establish how transparency influence service delivery at the Metropolitan County
Governments; determine the extent to which public participation influence service delivery at the
Metropolitan County Governments; and determine the extent to which inclusivity influences
service delivery at the Metropolitan County Governments. The study adopted a descriptive
research design. The target population for this study included 165 County government officials
of Metropolitan County Governments namely: the County Executive Officers, Committee
members, Chief Officers, and County Directors. The study relied on data collected through
questionnaires structured to meet the objectives of the study and an interview guide. Responses
were tabulated, coded and processed by use of a computer Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) version 20.0 programme to analyze the data. The study concludes that transparency and
public participation have a positive and significant effect on service delivery at the Metropolitan
County Governments while accountability of staff and inclusivity have no significant effect on
service delivery at the Metropolitan County Governments. There is need for the County
government should adopt well developed strategies that are meant to ensure they perform their
duties effectively and efficiently as well as ensuring they achieve their competitive advantage
and superior economic performance; and ensure there is sufficient facilitation, that is, financial
and transport availability; enhance the strategic planning meetings; proper delegation, that is,
with your eyes on and your hands off. There is need to conduct a similar study in other Counties
in an attempt to compare the findings. There is also need to conduct a study on the challenges
facing service delivery in the County governments | en_US |
