Thesis:

Effects of implementation of public policy on service delivery in Wajir county, Kenya

This study assesses the effect of public policy implementation on service delivery in Wajir County. The statement of the problem is lack of effective policy implementation mechanism at the county government level that affects service delivery. The purpose of the study is to assess the effects of public policy implementation on service delivery in Wajir County. The main objective is public policy implementation on service delivery in Wajir County. Three theories have been used in the study which are Agency Theory, Institutional Theory, and Goal Setting Theory. The conceptual framework is adapted from Safari and Mbirithi and has independent variables consisting of policy planning, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and management team while dependent consists of service delivery. The research used mixed methods to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The tools used were key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted with 6 senior county government officers, focus group discussions held with 3 groups (consisting of 151 community members), and questionnaire interviews administered to 79 middle level county government officers at sub-county and ward levels. The return rate of research tools was over 95%. Findings indicate that policy implementation in the county does not involve public participation, that there is no robust policy implementation framework, and the evaluation plan is neither functional nor well understood at the sub-county and ward levels. Policy implementation is top-town and does involve the community However; other stakeholders such as non-state actors were involved in policy implementation. Members of the County Assembly demanded bribes to develop policies that favoured the government rather than development oriented. The main challenges encountered when implementing policies in the county were delay of funds from National Treasury, lack of political goodwill from the Governor, and lack of cooperation from departments implementing a policy. The community blamed county government officers for inefficiency, corruption, mismanagement of resources, and aloofness. Correlational analysis show there is significant relationship between independent variables (i.e. policy planning, Stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and management team) and dependent variable (i.e. service delivery). The study concluded that the community is hardly involved or allowed to participate in decision making including policy implementation yet they are the beneficiaries of government interventions. Policies are top down with hardly any community input and where there is, only gatekeepers are allowed to provide it. The study recommended that Relevant departments and the County Executive in collaboration with County Assembly should ensure only relevant policies are formulated and implemented. There should be adequate public participation to ensure real issues on the ground are captured instead of developing policies that have no clear goals. It is good idea to engage of idle youth on volunteer basis to assist the government where there are inadequate personnel. This is a good suggestion that should be followed up.