Determinants of Strategy Implementation in the Public Health Facilities in Mombasa County, Kenya

Abstract

A strategic plan provides a business with the roadmap it needs to pursue a specific strategic direction and set of performance goals, deliver customer value, and be successful. However, this is just a plan, it does not guarantee that the desired performance is reached any more than having a roadmap guarantees the traveler arrives at the desired destination. Strategy implementation or strategy execution task is easily the most complicated and time consuming part of strategic management. In the Ministry of Health in Kenya, strategic planning is part of the on-going public sector reforms aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of health services. This study aimed at establishing determinants of strategy implementation in the public health facilities in Mombasa County. Descriptive survey research design was used. The target population consisted of all the 129 public health facilities in Mombasa County. Respondents were persons in charge of strategy or human resource department. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. The response rate of this study was 81% based on 104 respondents. The determinants of strategy implementation discussed in this study were organizational structure, human resource, resource adequacy and monitoring and evaluation. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the product moment correlation coefficient. The study established that all the factors are important determinants in the implementation of strategic plans in the public health facilities in Mombasa County. Based on the correlation analysis undertaken, the results show that there is a positive, moderate weak relationship between organizational structure and human resource as well as with resource adequacy. In addition, there is a positive strong relationship between organizational structure and monitoring and evaluation. The results further indicate that human resource has a positive, moderate weak relationship with resource adequacy and with monitoring and evaluation. The correlation analysis further indicated the presence of a significant positive, strong relationship between resource adequacy and monitoring and evaluation. All these were confirmed to be significant. The study concluded that the public health facilities do not get adequate resources to assist in the implementation of strategic plans. The resources are not also available in good time. The employees also not well trained in monitoring and evaluation of strategy implementation. The study recommends that the ministry of health and county government of Mombasa should ensure that there are adequate financial resources in the public health facilities in order to facilitate strategy implementation. The resources should also be availed in good time to ensure the strategic competitiveness and performance of the health facilities. There is also a need to train the employees on monitoring and evaluation of strategic plans to ensure there is follow up at every stage of implementation.