Effect of Access Control Strategy on Administrative Process Performance in Government Entities in Nakuru County, Kenya

The adoption of government digital systems such as IFMIS, UHRIS, and eCitizen has improved administrative processes but also increased the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and misuse of sensitive information. Access control strategy plays a critical role in safeguarding government data. Despite the increasing adoption of digital government systems, limited empirical evidence exists on the effect of access control strategy on administrative process performance in Kenyan government entities. This paper presents a focused analysis of access control strategy from a broader study of data security strategies on administrative process performance in government entities in Nakuru County, Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional design employing a census approach targeted 27 ICT officers and 33 heads of sections across nine government entities. Data were collected from 48 respondents (80% response rate) using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. Findings indicate that access control strategy was implemented at relatively high levels (M = 4.04), particularly in reducing unauthorized access (M = 4.47), although employee training on access control policies received comparatively lower ratings (M = 3.66). The regression model explained 71.4% of the variation in administrative process performance (R² = 0.714). Access control strategy had a statistically significant positive effect on administrative process performance (β = 0.348, p < .001). The findings demonstrate that robust access control strategy enhances administrative process performance in digital government environments. The study recommends strengthening authentication and access management practices, supported by continuous staff training, to improve administrative process performance in government entities.