A Survey on the Use of Benchmarking as a Continuous Improvement Tool for Ministry of Agriculture Parastatals in Kenya

The study aimed at establishing the application of benchmarking as a tool for continuous improvement within Parastatals in the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya. The study used descriptive research in its methodology. The study took the design of a survey. Data collection was effected by use of structured questionnaires, which targeted senior, middle-level management and the equivalent. The targeted population was the 24 parastatals with the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya. The questionnaire was self-administered through the drop –and-pick approach, coded, checked for any errors and omissions. The study established that certain challenges need to be addressed within the Ministry of Agriculture parastatals; comparability of the parastatals and their operation processes, seeking aid and support from sources and institutions that might be able to point to and convince potential partners, finding benchmarking collaborators willing to participate in the benchmarking studies, applying a systematic procedure whereby a large number of potential benchmarking partners are scanned for relevance and high performance, exchanging all possible background information beforehand. The other challenges with a mean of three seem to be coupled with uncertainties on their influence on the success of the benchmarking technique as a tool of continuous improvement. Delays in remission of questionnaires was experienced, submission of irrelevant information, transportation difficult given the location of some of the parastatals, and challenges were encountered in undertaking literature review given the poorly equipped laboratories with ICT and e-operations.