Effects of Gender Diversity on Performance of Parastatals in Kenya: A case of Kenya Wildlife Service

Abstract

Good corporate governance practices are critical for both private and public sector organizations to enhance their efficiency. Various reports on the poor performance of Parastatals in Kenya prompted this study. It is generally agreed that the services offered by most of these public entities is not commensurate with the tax-payers burden on the citizenry. The evidence of this status is documented in national and county government reports by various entities. The main purpose of this research was to examine how gender diversity as an aspect of corporate governance influence of performance of Parastatals in Kenya. Agency theory, stakeholder theory and stewardship theory were adopted to anchor the study. A descriptive research design was used in this research. The target population was the seven deputy directors at Kenya Wildlife Service and the 43 management staff who work under them. Primary data was obtained using a structured questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire was pilot-tested in this study by randomly selecting 5 management staff from Kenya Forest Service headquarter in Nairobi, which has the same parameters as KWS. The questionnaire was administered through email as well as drop and pick later method. Descriptive as well as inferential statistics generated including frequencies and percentages and simple linear regression respectively were generated. The correlation findings show the influence of relationship between gender diversity and performance was positive (r=0.700, p<0.000). The regression coefficient results indicate gender diversity positively and significantly influence performance of Parastatals in Kenya (β=0.826, p=0.000). This study concludes gender diversity is essential for Parastatals to practice in their endeavor to improve on their performance. The study recommends management of Parastatals should ensure there is gender diversity in their board as this will enhance performance. It is further recommend policy makers should come up with sound policies to guide Parastatals on maintaining gender diversity on the board of directors.

Keywords: Corporate governance, gender diversity, organization performance, Parastatals, Kenya Wildlife Service