Challenges of strategic implementation in Mathare 4A Slum Upgrading in Nairobi

Abstract

Strategy in effect, is management's game plan for the business; managers develop strategies to guide how an organization conducts its business and how it will achieve its target objectives. Without a strategy, there is no established course to follow,no roadmap to manage by, no cohesive action plan to produce the intended results (Thomson & Strickland, 1992). This case study sought to describe challenges In strategic implementation of slum upgrading policies taking a case of Mathare 4A slum. Primary data were collected using an interview guide. Using the guide, researcher was to establish the strategic implementation challenges experienced in Mathare 4A slum. Fifteen respondents were randomly selected to participate in the study. Seven from the Kenya Government ministry involved in the Mathare slum upgrading, four from the donor agency (KFW) from German Government and four from Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi. The researcher collected secondary data from individuals, government development plans and statistical abstracts. The collected data was subjected to content analysis. The researcher established that slum up grading is a sensitive issue that has several challenges among them being political interferences, inadequate resources, delayed work plan, stakeholders influences, leadership among other issues. The limitations experienced during the study was the inaccessibility of some of the respondents earmarked for the research as well as difficulties in accessing the confidential government reports on Mathare 4A. The case study offers comprehensive study on challenges of up-grading Mathare 4A, and the researcher suggests that further similar studies can be done on other slums in Nairobi and deduce whether the same challenges that affected Mathare 4A applied to all slums with similar programmes. Further research can also be done on Government slum up-grading policies and their challenges to slum up grading especially in major urban centres in Kenya.