REMOTE WORKING AND PERFORMANCE OF DEVOLVED GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Remote working has moved from an emergency response during the COVID-19 period to a more durable feature of organizational life. In Kenya, however, evidence on how this shift relates to the performance of employees in devolved governments remains limited. This article draws on a survey of employees in the County Government of Machakos to examine the relationship between remote working and employee performance, with particular attention to accountability, supervision, output efficiency, and support services. The study was anchored in Conservation of Resources theory and Self-Efficacy theory. A descriptive mixed-methods design was adopted. The target population comprised 244 employees at the county headquarters who had opportunities to work remotely, and 174 completed questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 71.31%. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression as reported in the source thesis, while qualitative comments were used to support interpretation. The findings show that respondents generally perceived remote working positively, with favorable ratings for flexibility, employee performance, accountability, supervision, and output efficiency. Support services recorded the lowest mean and the highest variability, suggesting uneven access to technical, training, and wellbeing support. Correlation results show a modest positive association between remote working and employee performance (r = 0.202). The strongest descriptive dimension was output efficiency, although it showed a negative correlation with overall employee performance (r = -0.156), pointing to possible coordination or teamwork costs. The article concludes that remote working can support performance in devolved government settings when it is backed by clear accountability structures, supportive supervision, and reliable support services.
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