Influence of strategic management practices on service delivery of yatima outreach education program in Nairobi county

Abstract

Most NGO-funded education programs grapple with issues such as weak resource mobilization, poor monitoring and evaluation, inadequate internal controls, and minimal stakeholder involvement. This study aimed to explore the influence of strategic management practices on the performance of NGOs in Kenya, using a case study of the Yatima Outreach Education Program in Nairobi County. Specifically, the study examined four independent variables: resource mobilization strategies, monitoring and evaluation strategies, internal control strategies, and stakeholder participation, and how this influenced service delivery at Yatima Outreach. The study was guided by stakeholder theory, systems management theory, and program theory. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The target population comprised 104 respondents, including 6 executive members, 32 administrative staff, and 66 teachers. Census sampling was used to include all 104 respondents. Structured questionnaires served as the primary research instruments. A pilot study involving 10 individuals from another NGOfunded education project in Nairobi County was conducted. The supervisor assisted in ensuring content validity, while Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the reliability index. Data were analyzed descriptively using percentages, means, and standard deviations in SPSS, and a multiple regression model was applied. The study adhered to ethical research standards, including informed consent and confidentiality. The findings revealed that service delivery at the Yatima Education Program is significantly influenced by stakeholder participation, monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization, and internal controls. Inferential statistics showed that stakeholder participation had the strongest correlation (r = 0.721), followed by monitoring and evaluation (r = 0.663), resource mobilization (r = 0.632), and internal controls (r = 0.569), all at p < 0.01. The regression model accounted for 50.4% of the variance in service delivery (R² = 0.504), confirming the combined influence of the four variables. Based on these findings, it is recommended that implementers diversify funding to stabilize resource flow, enhance use of evaluation data in decision-making, reinforce internal controls through audits and documentation, and deepen stakeholder engagement, particularly at the community level. These steps will strengthen transparency, improve responsiveness, and sustain quality service delivery.