| dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT
Reforms in the Provincial Administration have been very critical for the sound development of Kenya.
Assistant Chiefs operated under the Chief's Act which vested undue powers on them. These powers were
either detrimental to the people in terms offreedom of speech or was positive towards the development of
the community. Coordination of government activities as well as maintenance of law and order at the
community level made the Assistant Chiefs very powerful. Denying them such privileges through
reforms could affect their welfare, performance and morale. In spite of the reforms, a service to the
public by the Assistant Chiefs needs to continue even though their attitude toward such reforms is not
known in Emuhaya District. The purpose of this study therefore was to evaluate the effects of reforms on
the welfare of Assistant Chiefs in Emuhaya District. Specifically, the study aimed to identify the major
reforms affecting the welfare of Assistant Chiefs in Emuhaya District, to assess the effects of the reforms
on the welfare of Assistant Chiefs in Emuhaya District and to determine the attitude of the Assistant
Chiefs towards the reforms taking place within Emuhaya District. The study was guided by Theory of
Bureaucracy development by Max Weber (1947). The study comprised of fifty (50) Assistant Chiefs from
the entire Emuhaya District. Saturated sampling technique was used to select all the participants. The
study adopted cross-sectional survey design, combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The
quantitative data was obtained through administering questionnaires. Qualitative data was attained by
means of Focus Group Discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed manually owing to the smaller
number of respondent for the study that is fifty (50) Assistant Chiefs and presented in descriptive
statistics using frequency tables, bar graphs, percentages and charts. Qualitative data from focus group
discussion was analyzed using content analysis, which involved identifying recurring themes. Primary
data was collected using interview schedule. The study found out that government reforms in Provincial
Administration Department were not adequate in meeting the demands or welfare. Assistant Chiefs
expressed fear of loss of job due to restructuring in the administration, insufficient commuter allowances
that facilitate the reforms and rigid bureaucratic structures. Further, the study found out that after the
reforms there have been several negative effects, for instance, salary that Chiefs and their Assistants
receive do not tally with the work they do; there are no avenues for addressing grievances hence resorting
to demonstration; personal insecurity when executing duties and lack of trust in government as far as
assistant chiefs job security is concerned. Assistant Chiefs and their seniors in Kenya currently 2011~
2012 under Coalition Government resort to demonstrations to address their grievances. The study
recommends that the ordinary citizens should be allowed to petition parliament directly so that when MPs
refuse to pass good laws the people have alternatives. Further, members of parliament should be
required to reside in their constituencies where they can directly address grievances from their
constituencies. The administration or anyone in authority, who acts contrary to the law, should be
impeached. Impeachment proceedings in parliament should be public. Finally, the study recommends
that more allowances should be allocated to the chiefs. This is because chiefs deal with diverse
emergencies at the grass root level where by the government do not recognize as of importance. | en_US |
