Public engagement and the success of strategy implementation at the ministry of devolution and planning in kenya

Abstract

In the present day business environment where the society plays a great role in the success of an organizations strategy, it becomes imperative that an organization comes up with a strategy that will not be resisted in totality by the society or if there is resistance, then the level of resistance should not curtail in total the implementation of the same project. Public engagement is an integral part of a stepwise process of decision making aimed at broadening the support for the organizations policy and activities, to avoid conflicts and to generate as much support as possible for the success of the plan over time. Top managers of public organizations experience pressure in delivering expected results. They are caught up in a complex reality, where the political decision makers demand effective and visible solutions. Tax-payers require better service and value-formoney on their services. The media need action and transparency while the staff requires sparring motivation and enthusiasm. In order to meet the demands of these diverse group of parties, government institutions develop strategies that will help them achieve their objectives and at the same time meet the needs of their stakeholders. The objective of the study was to determine the role of public engagement in the success of strategy implementation at the ministry of Devolution and Planning, Kenya. The research design was a case study. The study used primary data which will be collected using an interview guide. The data obtained from the interview guide was analyzed using content analysis. The study found out that the Ministry engages the public in strategy implementation and this has resulted in reduction in the process time for strategy implementation due to the reduction of resistance by the stakeholders, poor service delivery, ensuring that public resources are only channeled towards important activities meant for public good and that it has helped in efficient utilization of resources such that wastage through such actions as corruption and unnecessary expenditure has been continuously scaled down. Public engagement has resulted in the formulation of strategies and policies by the ministry, the public viewing Uwezo fund as being their project and therefore willing to see it through thus fewer complaints from the public, better customer relations, efficient implementation, high morale on both sides of the divide, ease of work and hence better service delivery and efficient usage of public resource