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

Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business

ISSN: 2046-7141
Vol. 2, Issue. 10, (pp.31- 39) | 2013

The Influence of Rewards and Recognition on Productivity Levels among
Extension Officers in the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya
Peter Mutua Mutia
United States International University – Africa
P.o. Box, 14634 – 00800
Nairobi, Kenya
Damary Sikalieh, Ph.D
United States International University – Africa
P.o. Box, 14634 – 00800
Nairobi, Kenya e-mail: [e-mail]
ABSTRACT
While 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

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