Challenges of Strategy Implementation at the Municipal Council of Kisumu in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the challenges facing implementation of Strategy at the Municipal Council of Kisumu. The study was guided by the research question: What are the challenges facing implementation of strategy at the Municipal Council of Kisumu? This was a case study. The respondents consisted of departmental heads employed at the Municipal Council of Kisumu. Primary data was collected using an interview guide. A total of eight departmental heads were interviewed. Secondary data was collected through a review of the organizational chart, the strategic plan and various departmental reports. Data analysis was done based on the contents of the thematic areas in reference to the objectives of the study. The findings were presented in narrations and paragraphs. The major findings of the research were similar to earlier studies done on challenges to strategy implementation. The research identified several challenges affecting strategy implementation at the Municipal Council of Kisumu. These included lack of proper communication and creation of feedback mechanisms for strategy implementation, failure to align organizations structure and resources to the strategic plan, employee resistance to change, lack of education and training for employees and reluctance in embracing stakeholder support. Conclusively, strategy implementation process normally requires much more energy and time than the formulation of the strategy. It is therefore recommended that the strategy implementation phase needs to be done with instilled discipline, planning, motivation and in a controlled process.