Board Governance and Service Delivery in Constitutional Commissions in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of board governance on service delivery in constitutional commissions in Kenya. The specific objectives that this research proposal sought to achieve were to: Analyze the influence of board structure on service delivery in constitutional commissions in Kenya; To assess the influence of board independence on service delivery in constitutional commissions in Kenya; To determine the influence of board diversity on service delivery in constitutional commissions in Kenya; To assess the influence of board-CEO collaboration on service delivery in constitutional commissions in Kenya; To assess the moderating effect of board e- governance on the relationship between board governance and service delivery in constitutional commissions in Kenya. To achieve the set objectives, the study developed research hypotheses and were statistically tested at α = 0.05. The theories on which the study is hinged are the Contingency Theory of Leadership, Stewardship Theory, Behavioral Leadership Theory, Transformational Leadership Theory, Institutional Theory and Agency Theory. The study adopted both descriptive survey and exploratory research designs and will use both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The units of analysis were the constitutional commissions of Kenya created by Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Kenya and Act of Parliament, while the unit of observation was 90 board members, 10 Chief Executive Officers and 102 head of departments of the Constitutional Commissions in Kenya. The respondents were sought through the census. Structured questionnaires were the main tool to collect primary data from the targeted respondents. A pilot study was carried out to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that all the board governance practices had a positive and significant relationship with service delivery in the constitutional commissions in Kenya. However, the magnitude of the influence was different for the specific board governance practices. Board diversity had the largest effect followed by board independence then board structure and finally board collaboration. Further, the results showed that e-governance had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between board governance practices and service delivery in the constitutional commissions in Kenya. The study concluded that board governance practices had the potential to positively influence service delivery in the constitutional commissions in Kenya in terms of timeliness, accessibility, and customer satisfaction. The results support the current theories (stewardship and agency theories) related to the study. Consequently, this study provides constitutional commissions with insights into how to improve service delivery through the adoption of appropriate board governance practices. The study recommended that constitutional commissions should adopt a culture of adopting appropriate governance practices (board diversity, independence, structure, and collaboration). This could go a long way in ensuring there is improved service delivery in the constitutional commissions in Kenya