Bridging Capability and Outcomes: Strategic Decision-Making Capability and Service Delivery in County Governments in the Lake Region Economic Bloc, Kenya

Abstract

This study focused on the relationship between strategic decision-making capability and public service delivery in the County governments in the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB), Kenya. Persistent performance gaps, as evidenced by the total of Ksh 13.66 billion of unfulfilled developmental infrastructure across the LREB, indicate severe execution challenges as a result of devolved governance outlined in the Constitution of Kenya (2010) that was meant to optimise resource allocation and enhance public accountability. The research is built on the Dynamic Capability Theory and tests the implications of this theory in relation to how sub-national administrative frameworks make use of strategic decisions to achieve institutional results. Primary data were collected using the five-point Likert scale questionnaires from an initial sample of 301 senior county administrative officials, and 291 questionnaires were received and analysed using a correlational and triangular research design. The results of inferential data analysis by a simple linear regression model showed that the strategic decision-making of the study had a moderate-to-strong positive correlation with service delivery, with a magnitude of r = 0.541 and p < 0.01. Additionally, the influence of strategic decision-making processes on localised service performance measures was significant and positive (β = 0.165, t = 3.664, p < 0.001), which means that the null hypothesis was rejected. The study findings are that structured decision-making, systematic policy alignment, and evidence-based prioritisation are the core administrative processes that regional governments use to implement public policies into tangible service results. Therefore, it is recommended that county governments institutionalise processes for making decisions based on data, implement participatory planning processes, and build a strong leadership development program in order to reduce the lack of progress on infrastructure development and improve the devolution outcomes.