Audit Committee Characteristics and Performance of The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Kenya

Abstract

Worldwide, the effectiveness of the government plays a significant role in fostering economic growth within a nation. This is because the government is responsible for nurturing a skilled workforce, creating a business-friendly regulatory and investment climate, and developing the necessary infrastructure for the flow of goods and information. In this context, the audit committee serves a vital function by overseeing and helping the board monitor an organization's responsibilities, making their role crucial in ensuring sound financial management. In Kenya like other developing countries, the public expectations and priorities are changing. Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector through performance measurement has been widely acknowledged as essential. Despite a growing demand for public services, the prevailing financial limitations force numerous public organizations to accomplish their goals with fewer available resources. However, these can only be assured through effective auditing of the public sector. Recently, the government of Kenya has recommended the constitution of audit committees of all government ministries. The purpose of the research is to explore how audit committee qualities affect the IEBC's performance in Kenya. The specific objectives were to determine the effect of audit committee member qualifications, size, independence and gender diversity on the performance of the independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in Kenya. The population of study was the management staff at the IEBC secretariat who total to 129. This consisted of 129 respondents. A sample of 65 respondents, constituting 50% of the target population, was randomly selected for this study. Primary data was collected utilizing self-administered semi-structured questionnaires. This analysis was helped by the employment of SPSS software. The findings were disseminated using various visual aids such as tables, charts, graphs, frequencies, and percentages. The research findings from this study offered an opportunity for individual parastatals and the public sector to assess their audit committee characteristics in comparison to other entities within the same sector in the country. This assessment enabled them to identify both the strengths and weaknesses in their audit committee practices.