The effects of reforms on welfare of assistant chiefs’ in Emuhaya district, Vihiga county

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.