Strategy Implementation and Performance of Migori County Government, Kenya

The performance levels of the majority of county governments in Kenya have not met residents’ expectations since the onset of devolution in 2013, despite adopting strategic management techniques to formulate and implement strategies. Strategy implementation enables organizations to attain their objectives. Notably, strategy implementation is affected by an array of elements, each of which has the potential to determine the level of performance of organizations. This study investigates the effect of leadership on the performance of the Migori County government in Kenya. The study was guided by the Upper Echelon Theory and the Balanced Scorecard model. This study used a descriptive research design. The County’s executive arm was the unit of analysis. The target population consisted of ten departments. The units of observation were 129 top and mid-level county employees. The census technique was applied. A structured (five-point Likert scale) questionnaire was used to collect data. A pilot study was conducted in Homa Bay County. The instrument’s validity was established through content and construct. For reliability, measurement scales attained Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranging from 0.861 to 0.868. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that leadership has a statistically significant effect on the performance of the Migori County government. Therefore, the study concludes that leadership plays a leading role in ensuring that the county government delivers on its mandate. Therefore, the study recommended that the county government enhance leaders’ capacity to enable them to make prompt and effective decisions to support strategy implementation in the Migori County government.