Abstract:
Agricultural extension services are put in place to improve rural development in many nations.
Devolution of agricultural extension services have been tried in many nations with mixed results.
Since the implementation of the devolved system of governance in Kenya, its effect on agricultural
extension service delivery, in Kericho has not been studied and documented. The purpose of this
study was to determine the perception of agricultural extension staff towards financial support in
Kericho county before and after devolution in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research
design, which is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied.
The target population comprised of 117 agricultural extension officers in Kericho County. The study
used a census sampling method because the target population was very small; thus, all the units in
the target population were considered. However, inclusion criteria were applied by only including
individuals who were in employment both before and after devolution. Data were collected using a
questionnaire. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics (means, standard
deviation, frequencies, and percentages) inferential statistics (paired correlation and paired t-test)
with the aid of SPSS. The results show that the majority of the respondents, (86%) were either
positive or very positive towards financial transparency before devolution as opposed to the only
4.3% after devolution. The t-test results showed a statistically significant difference in perception of agricultural extension officers towards funding of agricultural extension services before and after
devolution in Kericho county. The study concludes that financial support was better before
devolution compared to after devolution. The study suggests that the county government of
Kericho should improve their financial commitment to promote effective and efficient delivery of
extension services.
