Role of Dynamic Capabilities in Influencing Performance of Mid-Level Colleges in Nakuru County, Kenya

Mid-level colleges in Kenya are expected to respond quickly to competency-based education and training (CBET) reforms, technological change and shifting labour-market demands, yet evidence on the capabilities that enable them to do so remains limited. This study examined the role of dynamic capabilities in influencing the performance of mid-level colleges in Nakuru County, Kenya. Specifically, it assessed the influence of sensing capability, innovation capability, organizational learning and resource reconfiguration on performance, operationalized through flexibility, responsiveness, speed and adaptability. The study was anchored on Dynamic Capabilities Theory and supported by the Resource-Based View, Organizational Learning Theory and Strategic Agility Theory. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The 40 accredited mid-level colleges in the County formed the unit of analysis and were studied through a census, while three key informants involved in institutional planning were purposively selected from each college, giving 120 respondents. Data were collected using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire whose construct validity (KMO = 0.831) and reliability (overall Cronbach's α = 0.823) were confirmed through a pilot study. A total of 101 questionnaires were returned (84.17%) and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. The four dynamic capabilities jointly explained 53.9% of the variation in performance (R² = 0.539; F(4, 96) = 28.03; p