THE IMPACT OF THE RESTRUCTURING OF PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION ON STAFF MOTIVATION IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Provincial Administration has been a department in the office the President, coordinating national government responsibilities and representing the executive arm of the government in the field. However, major changes along its history have been effected, though the promulgation of the new constitution 2010 had notable landmark. The new constitution provided for the restructuring of Provincial Administration. Although the policy on restructuring is being worked on, the enactment of National Government Coordination Act 2013 and Executive order no 3/2014 dramatically changed the structure and responsibilities of the National Government Administrative Officers [NGAOs]. This study therefore sought to find out the impact of restructuring Provincial Administration on staff motivation in Nairobi County, Kenya. The research sought to answer the following four questions: Has change in job titles affected NGAOs motivation? Has change in responsibilities affected NGAOs motivation? How has the redefined relationship between NGAOs with other agencies of government affected staff motivation? And lastly, were NGAOs involved in the restructuring process from the outset? The following specific objectives guided the research work, (i) To find out whether change of job titles have had effects on NGAOs motivation (ii) To find out whether change in responsibilities have had effects on NGAOs motivation (iii) To find out whether redefined relationship between NGAOs and other agencies of government have had effects on staff motivation and lastly, (iv)To find out if the NGAOs were involved in the restructuring process from the outset. The hypotheses that the research sought to accept or reject were, (i) Changes in job titles increased NGAOs motivation (ii) Changes in responsibilities increased NGAOs motivation (iii) Changes in relationships between NGAOs and other MDAs increased their motivation and lastly (iv) The level of involvement and communication on the restructuring process increased NGAOs motivation. The research used questionnaires and interviews as instruments of collecting data. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study revealed salient findings. According to Assistant and Deputy County Commissioners (ACCs & DCCs), the old titles of NGAOs were more appealing than the new titles. The new responsibilities are less enriching and fulfilling than previous responsibilities. The new relationship with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies [MDAs ] is not as healthy as before and has negative effects on motivation. Finally, the NGAOs were not sufficiently involved in the restructuring process and where they were involved their views have never been taken on board. However, the Assistant Chiefs and Chiefs who were tested on hypotheses 2, 3 and 4, and were fairly positive that changes have indeed led to their motivation. The motivational theories that guided the research and were complimentary in nature were the Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and Hertzberg's two factor theory. The major recommendations include giving sufficient and appropriate resources to the NGAOs to match with their titles and responsibilities. The operations of the NGAOs need to be anchored in law to avoid conflicts with other arms of government. Restructuring of organizations should have a human face, and generally involve all stakeholders. Restructuring organizations should use independent agencies to drive the process. Lastly there is need for further research to establish why Assistant Chiefs and Chiefs are fairly motivated than ACCs and DCCs.