Factors Influencing Financial Management in Marsabit County Government

Abstract

The issue of management of public resource has elicited a lot of concerns among many stakeholders globally. The purpose for this research was to assess the factors influencing financial management in Marsabit County government. Specifically the study sought: to assess the influence of the of ICT on the financial management in Marsabit devolved government; to assess the effect the regulations on the management of finance in Marsabit devolved government; to examine the effect of internal audit on the financial management in Marsabit devolved government and to assess the effect of staff competence on the management of finance in Marsabit county government.. The study adopted descriptive survey was adopted for this study. The targeted study population was 63 staff members who are Job group K and above from the department of Finance in the directorate of Accounts, Revenue, Procurement and Internal Audit. Given the small number of staff in the finance department of County government of Marsabit census was used. The study employed simple structured questionnaires to gather primary data which was analyzed using SPSS. From analysis of data the study established that each of the five factors namely ICT usage, regulatory framework, internal audit function, staff competency and the timely disbursement of funds are positively correlated with financial management in the county government of Marsabit. However, the most influential factors on financial management include the internal audit function, timely disbursement of funds and staff competency. ICT usage also influences financial management but to lower extent. The regulatory framework on the other hand has the least positive influence on financial management in the county government of Marsabit. The low influence of the regulatory framework is attributed to the fact that there are no effective punitive measures against staff members who misappropriate funds that is why staff members largely ignore the rules and regulations. The study recommended that the county government should invest more in ICT and continue adopting ICT in financial management. The study also recommended implementation of harsh punitive measures against members of staffs of the county government of who disobey rules and regulations. The study also recommended internal audit to be well staffed and resourced so that it is able to carry out regular audits of the county government. The study also recommended the recruitment of employees with requisite qualifications and sufficient experience in the finance department. In addition County government should do continuous staff training to improve their skills. The study further recommended pursuit of timely disbursement of funds from the national government through Council of governors.