STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PRACTICES AND SERVICE DELIVERY AT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF WAJIR, KENYA
Daud Abdi Ali - Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Reuben K. Njuguna (PhD) - Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The successful execution of Kenyan county governments' initiatives has been a long-standing challenge in achieving service delivery to the citizens. The county government's service delivery frequently encounters delays, cost overruns, and subpar performance despite the allocation of substantial resources and budgetary allocations, resulting in a discrepancy between intended outcomes and actual results. This has resulted in widespread frustration among citizens, who have come to expect little from their local governments. Moreover, the poor service delivery of counties government service delivery has also had a ripple effect on the nation's overall progress, as it hampers the achievement of national development goals. Determining the impact of strategy implementation procedures and service delivery at the County Government of Wajir, Kenya was the main goal of the study. The objectives of the research were; to assess the impact of stakeholder engagement, leadership and governance, policy and regulatory environment, and resource allocation on service delivery at the County Government of Wajir, Kenya. The Resource Based View, Stakeholder Theory, SERVQUAL model, and Theory of Performance guided the research. Descriptive research design was implemented during the analysis. The investigation's unit of analysis was 35 service delivery projects funded by the government of Wajir County over the last five years, from 2019 to 2023. A census sample method was used in the investigation. Primary and secondary data were both used by the researcher. The research tool was a questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the research tools were assessed via Cranach's alpha to gauge instrument reliability and the content validity test to assess validity. Equally qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to scrutinize the Infor that had been gathered. SPSS version 23 was applying to produce the info that was examined. Results of the analysis Results of the assessments were tabulated and illustrated through tables and figures with interpretative information based on objectives of service delivery Generic results, Visual representations and interpretations were used to express the findings. The study realized that some aspects of strategy implementation practices intentionally affected service delivery at the County Government of Wajir, Kenya. The strongest positive correlates of delivery was stakeholder involvement (Stakeholder engagement; coefficient = 0.294, Beta = 0.312 and significant t-value = 3.769, p < 0.001). Leadership and governance also made a significant positive impact, with the coefficient being 0.281 (Beta = 0.289) and t-value as equal to 3.306 (p = 0.001). Policy and regulatory environment added positively to performance of services, with a factor 0.215 (Beta = 0.226) t-value = 2.654 (p = 0.010). Finally, resource allocation also had a significant positive effect (β = 0.202), with t-value of 2.539 (p = 0.013). These findings bring a conclusion that the enhancement of stakeholder involvement, acceleration of leadership and governance processes, rationalization in policy and regulation systems and efficiency in resource distribution is paramount in improving service delivery the County Government of Wajir. it is suggested the county executive considers to adopt inclusive processes, establish ethical and visionary leadership, monitor and communicate policies, ensure equitable distribution of resources for most efficient strategic service delivery and public satisfaction.