EFFECT OF RETRENCHMENT ON SERVICE DELIVERY OF RETAINED CIVIL SERVANTS- A STUDY OF SELECTED MINISTRIES IN KISII CENTRAL DISTRICT, KENYA
Stephen Simako Okibo

Abstract
In Kenya, the Government undertook retrenchment policy as one of the civil service reform programs. The staff reduction measures reduced the size of the civil service from 272,000 employees in 1992 to 191,000 employees in 2003. The Government aimed at cutting down expenditure, ease the burden on the taxpayers and enhance service delivery. To improve service delivery after retrenchment, the Kenyan Government relied on a lean workforce that had been retained to serve the whole country whose population kept growing. This study set to explore the effect that retrenchment had on service delivery of the retained civil servants. The specific objectives were: to establish the effect of downsizing on ministerial organization structure; to determine the extent to which provision of services has improved in the Kenyan Civil Service; and to determine the morale and motivational level of the retained civil servants. The study may be useful to policy makers who may utilize its findings to design policies for effective management of retrenchment as an aspect of structural change. The study was conducted in Kisii Central District and it adopted a descriptive cross sectional design. It targeted civil servants in Kisii Central district who were retained when retrenchment was conducted. The data collection instruments that were used in this study were: questionnaires, interview schedules and observation checklists. Data was collected, coded and analyzed. Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Data was presented by use of tables, pie charts, histograms and graphs. The studyrevealed that downsizing reduced the span of control. It caused feelings of insecurity among the retained civil servants and reduced headcount resulting in work overload. The study revealed that retrenchment lowered the morale of retained workers. Interestingly, there were improvements in service delivery by public servants due to the reforms that were instituted by the government.

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