Influence of Delegated Power on Performance of Rice Sector in Kenya

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of delegated power on performance of rice sector in Kenya. Methodology: The study was anchored on the institutional theory. The target population of this study comprised of 185 farmer representatives (cooperative managers), 36 staff of research institutions (researchers) and 9 managers of National Irrigation Authority and 16 rice millers (managers) as the key stakeholders of rice growing in Kenya. The study sample size was 152 and study adopted multi-stage sampling whereas purposive, stratified and random sampling techniques were appropriate for drawing sample size. The data collection instruments were questionnaires and interview schedules. The qualitative data was analyzed by use of the content analysis, while quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS Version 27, for descriptive and inferential results. Both the arithmetic mean and standard deviation were used as statistical tools to measure central tendency and dispersion respectively. Findings: The study revealed that delegated power has a statistically significant and positive relationship with rice sector performance. The descriptive results indicated majority of the respondents (mean= 4.03, standard deviation= 0.996) agreed that delegated power was among the stakeholder governance mechanisms employed in the rice sector in Kenya. The correlation results also revealed that delegated power and performance of rice sector in Kenya were positively and significantly associated (r=0.838, p=0.000). In addition, the regression results showed that delegated power explains 70.3% of the variations in performance (r-squared =0.703), making it a strong predictor of performance in Kenya's rice sector. The regression model was statistically significant (F = 234.042, p < 0.05), and delegated power had a positive and significant effect (β=0.927, p=0.000) on performance of rice sector in Kenya. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The management should give room for other stakeholders to make decisions by empowering them to make operational decisions. In addition, regular consultations and structured feedback mechanisms should be mandatory to improve transparency and collaboration.