Strategic Responses and Performance of Kenya Revenue Authority in Nairobi County, Kenya

Despite the adoption of strategic management practices, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has continued to experience challenges in meeting revenue targets, suggesting gaps in the execution and effectiveness of strategic responses. This study examined the effects of strategic responses on the organisational performance of KRA at its Nairobi headquarters. The strategic responses assessed were customer-centric approaches, strategic brand positioning, technological integration, and data-driven decision-making. The study used a descriptive research design and collected data from 90 respondents drawn from a target population of 180 senior and middle-level employees across key departments. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicated that data-driven decision-making had the strongest positive and statistically significant effect on organisational performance (B = 1.399, p = 0.008), followed by strategic brand positioning (B = 1.240, p = 0.000). Customer-centric approaches also had a positive and statistically significant effect (B = 0.662, p = 0.002), suggesting that responsiveness to taxpayer needs supports efficiency and compliance. Technological integration showed a negative but statistically non-significant effect (B = -0.312, p = 0.535), indicating that technology alone may not improve performance without adequate capacity, integration, and support systems. The study concludes that strategic responses can improve KRA performance when they are implemented coherently, supported by staff capacity, and aligned with taxpayer service and revenue administration objectives.