EFFECT OF STRATEGIC CONTROL SYSTEMS ON PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SELECTED COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN WESTERN, KENYA

Abstract

County governments in Western Kenya have initiated various projects, such as small road constructions, which are often used as political leverage during campaigns. This study aimed to investigate the effects of strategic control systems on project implementation within selected county governments in Western Kenya, guided by the Resource-Based View and the Theory of Reasoned Action. The specific objectives included assessing the effects of financial controls, operational controls, and behavioral controls on project implementation, as well as examining the moderating effect of organizational culture. Employing a correlational survey design, the study targeted a population of 72 project managers and contractors, with a pilot study conducted in Busia County to validate the research instruments, achieving a reliability coefficient of 0.7 and above. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including simple linear regression and correlation. The findings revealed a strong positive correlation between financial controls (R = 0.897), moderate to strong correlations with operational controls (R = 0.766), and behavioral controls (R = 0.895) on project implementation. Additionally, organizational culture showed a strong moderating effect (R = 0.934).All null hypotheses were rejected, indicating significant relationships between the variables. The study recommends that county governments allocate adequate budgets to enhance financial controls, evaluate daily operations to strengthen operational controls, foster ethical behavior among employees to improve behavioral controls, and cultivate a flexible organizational culture to support effective project implementation. This research contributes valuable insights to county management, scholars, and the broader literature on strategic controls and performance in Kenyan county governments.