The Influence of Rewards and Recognition on Productivity Levels among Extension Officers in the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya

A Journal article by Dr. Damary Sikalieh, a lecturer at the Chandaria School of Business in USIU- AfricaWhile the civil service reform program has been continually hailed by the donor community as the solution to the poor performance in the Kenyan civil service, it has continued to draw wide criticisms from different stakeholders, including those involved one way or the other in the Kenyan agricultural sector. This is because there has been a steady decline in the sufficiency of (extension) services provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, the key provider of agricultural extension services in Kenya. A study conducted by the info tool incorporated, a business diagnostic services organization based in Massachusetts, in the United states of America, found that some of the factors that can contribute to poor performance among employees in any given organization include poor leadership, lack of team work among employees, lack of an effective rewards and recognition system, a poor work environment, among others. Consequently, based on the available literature, several factors can be cited as the possible causes for the declining performance among extension officers in the Ministry of Agriculture. These could include: lack of rewards and recognition for outstanding service, a poor career development system and a poor work environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of rewards and recognition on productivity levels among extension officers in the ministry of Agriculture. This was a case study which sought to identify the effects lack of an efficient rewards and recognition system had on productivity levels among extension officers with an aim of opening doors for further research on the same and recommend strategies for addressing the problems to ensure that the country becomes (once again) self sufficient in food production. There were a total of 45 extension officers in Bahari District, which had just been annexed from Kilifi District. Given the number of officers, a census was done, where all the officers were given questionnaires, followed by a focus group discussion for triangulation purposes. This is because it was only through a census that more comprehensive and accurate information could be gotten. The data collected was analyzed for any causal-effect relationships, correlations and variances, by use of the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), and the results presented in pie charts and tables to give a picture of the research findings at a glance. The findings on rewards and recognition revealed that the employees in the ministry of agriculture are not satisfied with the rewards and levels of recognition for the jobs they do, with the overall feeling being that they are neither rewarded nor recognised for their work. Low compensations levels were cited as a major source of poor motivation among the employees. The study thus recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture considers improving its rewards and recognition programme for its extension officers for increased productivity. The ministry should effect professionalism and equity in staff promotions, improve holistic facilitation of field staff, and improve on the general staff motivation strategies (revise allowances and other benefits)