Improving Public Service Delivery Through Good Corporate Governance: Lessons From the Embu County Government, Kenya

Abstract

Poor service delivery in Embu County, marked by governance lapses, corruption, and inefficiencies, indicates a gap in understanding how corporate governance principles, such as stakeholder inclusivity, transparency, public participation, and accountability, influence effective service delivery in the context of devolved governance. This study therefore sought to examine the effect of stakeholders’ transparency, inclusivity, public contribution, and accountability on service delivery. The theoretical basis for this research was anchored on SERVQUAL Model. The study was in addition underpinned by Agency Theory, Stewardship Theory, and Institutional Performance Theory and Resource-Based Theory. A descriptive survey research design was applied, targeting 248 workers from Embu County from which a sample of 153 respondents was selected using a proportionate stratified and simple random sampling technique. The findings revealed that stakeholders' inclusivity, transparency, public participation, and accountability jointly explained 62.9% of the variation in service delivery in Embu County Government (Adjusted R² = 0.615). Regression analysis showed that stakeholders' inclusivity (β = 0.208, p = 0.020), transparency (β = 0.053, p = 0.007), public participation (β = 0.465, p = 0.000), and accountability (β = 0.164, p = 0.042) were all positively and significantly related to service delivery. The study concludes that stakeholders’ inclusivity, transparency, public participation, and accountability significantly affect service delivery, with public participation having the most substantial impact. In view of the findings, the study recommends that Embu County Government should improve corporate governance practices by institutionalizing structured public participation frameworks, improving financial transparency, and reinforcing stakeholder engagement mechanisms.