Perceived Influence of Performance Standard on Quality Public Service Delivery in National Government Administration in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

Abstract

The provision of high-quality public service has for a long time been a challenge, especially in developing nations. There is an outcry of poor service provision in the public sector. This necessitated the government to implement performance appraisal which is an integral component of performance management strategy for the achievement of high quality of service delivery. The paper determined the perceived influence of performance standards on quality public service delivery in the National Government Administration in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya. This study was anchored on Goal setting theory. An Explanatory research design was used. The study targeted a population of 219 National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) which yielded a sample of 141 respondents. The research utilised a stratified sampling technique while closed-ended questionnaires were used to collect data. The validity and reliability of questionnaires were realised through conducting a pilot study, Cronbach Alpha tests and guidance from research study supervisors. Mean and standard deviation was calculated, while multiple regression analysis (MRA) was used for inferential statistics. The t-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses of the study at a 5% significant level, while the f-test was applied to test the relationship between performance appraisal and quality public service delivery at a 5% significant level. The study finding revealed that performance standards had significant influence on quality of service deliver (β2 = .161; p = .046 < .05). The study concluded that performance standards influenced quality public service delivery in National Government Administration in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya. The study recommends that National Government Administration should fully implement all the stages and stick to requirements of performance appraisal to achieve the provision of high-quality public service delivery. The study suggests further studies be done on performance-based compensation.