Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi

The problems associated with the implementation of national development plans in the developing world have become a major concern to both development analysts and practitioners. Various approaches in systems management have therefore been suggested to invigorate and rationalise the plan implementation process. This tempts to assess the applicability of various systems management techniques to the development administration process in Kenya. The limits which uncertainty imposes on general development policy are used as a point of departure. The ubiquity of uncertainty is seen as militating against the introduction of systems procedures and as necessitating the adoption of unprogrammed, ad hoc, and flexible administrative techniques. The oase is therefore made for the adoption of this unprogrammed approach to plan implementation as opposed to the system management procedures.