Assessment of Good Governance Practices in Public Service Delivery: The Case of Bonga Town Administration, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study assesses the practices of good governance in public service delivery on water and health service in Bonga town, Kaffa zone, SNNPR. To accomplish the objectives, the study used a mixed research approach with a descriptive design. Data were collected from both primary and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. Secondary data involved reviewing relevant literature from books and journal. Data collected by survey questionnaires were entered into SPSS for statistical analysis, and data collected by interviews and focus group discussion were analyzed through narrative, and used for triangulation. the study found that the practice of good governance in public service delivery in Bonga town is evaluated as less implementation in responsiveness principle of good governance, the practices of transparency principle are still ineffective, not effectively implemented accountability and there is no implementation of good governance principle of participation in water and health service sector in the Bonga town. The service delivery frequency still needs improvement since certain households of the town don’t know the clear-cut timetable of service provision. The service providers of both water and health service offices deliver the service based on the plan and the way they prepared for the communities without the involvement of the household service user of the town. Water and health offices have no clear procedures of public service delivery for all clients (households). The offices have to improve the public service provision by disclosing the procedures of the service delivery systems in their respective dimensions. Most of the households in the town judged that the current good governance practices of water and health office in service provision are poor in that it needs deep improvement. Additionally, it hinders institutional performances, strongly affects need of the community, retards development and slims down the overall aspect of the town are some of the consequences of the absence of good governance in the water and health offices of the town. Finally, to alleviate these challenges the study suggested that the office of water and health service provision still needs an institutional and structural reformation to improve the practices of good governance in the offices.