STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PRACTICES AND SERVICE DELIVERY IN SELECTED HEALTH FACILITIES IN MARSABIT COUNTY IN KENYA
STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PRACTICES AND SERVICE DELIVERY IN SELECTED HEALTH FACILITIES IN MARSABIT COUNTY IN KENYA
Tego Yayo Boru - Postgraduate student, Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Videlis Njeri Njuguna - Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Effective service delivery in healthcare is critical for improving community well-being and achieving national health goals, yet Level 4 and 5 public health facilities in Marsabit County, Kenya, struggle with poor performance, evidenced by low institutional delivery rates, inadequate emergency care, and patient dissatisfaction. The study aimed to examine the effect of strategy implementation practices on the quality of service delivery in specified healthcare institutions within Marsabit County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine how strategic leadership, resource allocation, change management and strategic communication influenced service delivery in desiginated health facilities in Marsabit. The study was anchored on situational leadership theory, the resource-based view, the McKinsey 7S framework, and the SERVQUAL model. The research employed a descriptive research method and focused on a population of 171 healthcare professionals comprising doctors, nurses, clinical officers, laboratory technicians, and pharmacists from one Level 5 and three Level 4 public health facilities in Marsabit County.Stratified random sampling guided by Yamane’s formula yielded a sample of 120 respondents. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires which were administered digitally and thus were flexible and accessible. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression model where Likert scale items were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to find patterns and to test the relationship between variables. The findings were that strategic leadership had a positive correlation with service delivery but statistically not significant. This is an implication that leadership practices alone might not be enough to initiate quantifiable change in resource-constrained settings. Resource allocation, change management and strategy communication, in contrast, were statistically significant and positively impacted by strategic communication most. These findings explain why proper resource allocation, systematic change strategies, and communication are significant in facilitating service delivery of healthcare services in government-operated institutions. The analysis suggests that, as significant as leadership is, it should be provided with adequate resources, the effectiveness of change processes, and effective communication systems to drive significant changes in the healthcare environment. It advises policymakers and hospital managers to focus on ensuring resource optimisation, institutionalisation of effective change management practices and enhance communication structures. More studies are advised in other counties, through longitudinal designs and by investigating mediating variables like governance, cultural practices, and political influences. This study contributes to the body of research on healthcare management by providing a research-based insight into the phenomenon of strategy implementation and its impact on service provision in marginalised environments.
