http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/1282 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PROCUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT,SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, 2026-04-06T20:24:39Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/6929 Devolved Governance and Social Transformation in North Eastern Region, Kenya Adan, Abdirahman Mohamed Social change is increasingly recognized as a critical phenomenon in public administration, influenced by shifts in social, fiscal, and political structures that move governance from centralized to decentralized systems. Despite its significance, limited research exists in the Kenyan context examining the relationship between governance structures and community social transformation. The general objective of the study was to investigate the influence of devolved governance on social transformation in the North Eastern region in Kenya. The study also sought to determine the influence of administrative structure, fiscal structure, political structure and socio-cultural structure on social transformation in North Eastern region in Kenya. The study further sought to assess the moderating influence of leadership on the relationship between devolved governance structure and social transformation in North Eastern region in Kenya. The study was guided by the theory of change, alongside management, cognitive engagement, sequential decentralization, souffle, and general systems theories. Adopting a positivist philosophical framework, the research employed an explanatory and descriptive cross-sectional design. The unit of analysis comprised the counties of Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera, while the unit of observation included senior county employees in Job Groups M to S involved in strategic decision-making. Primary data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Normality, heteroscedasticity, and autocorrelation were tested with the Jarque-Bera statistic, while exploratory factor analysis and moderated multiple regression were applied to examine relationships between devolved governance, leadership, and social transformation. The findings revealed that administrative, fiscal, political, and socio-cultural structures each have a positive and significant effect on social transformation in the North Eastern region. Leadership was found to positively moderate the relationship between governance structures and social transformation. Specifically, administrative autonomy in contracts, recruitment, and strategic decision-making, robust fiscal structures, accountable political systems, and culturally sensitive socio-cultural structures all contributed to promoting social transformation. Overall, the study concludes that devolved governance is a critical driver of social transformation in the North Eastern region of Kenya, and its impact is enhanced by effective leadership. The study recommends strengthening administrative, fiscal, political, and socio-cultural structures to enhance social transformation in North Eastern Kenya through improved autonomy, transparency, inclusivity, and community participation. Capacity-building, clear policies, accountable financial practices, and culturally responsive programs are essential for effective implementation and sustainable development outcomes. The study further recommends that future research adopt longitudinal or mixed-method designs to examine how governance and leadership reforms influence social transformation over time. Further, the study recommends that future research conduct comparative, multidisciplinary investigations across regions to examine broader dimensions of devolved governance, beyond social transformation, to generate comprehensive evidence for informed policy decisions. PhD in Leadership and Governance 2026-03-31T00:00:00Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/6915 Warehousing Operations and Supply Chain Performance of Food and Beverages Processing Firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya Njiru, Kellen Karimi It is observed that numerous food and beverage processing enterprises are facing a downturn in supply chain performance, a situation largely attributable to inefficiencies within their warehousing operations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the effect of warehousing on supply chain performance of food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was guided by specific objectives namely: to analyze the effect of transport integration on supply chain performance of food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya; to examine the effect of volumetrics on supply chain performance of food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya; to determine the effect of waveless picking on supply chain performance of food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya; to evaluate the effect of fulfillment on supply chain performance of food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya; and to assess the moderating effect of warehousing policy framework on the relationship between warehousing and supply chain performance of food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The research concentrated on the 134 food and beverage processors that are operating in Nairobi City County besides being registered with Kenya Association of Manufacturers. The study adopted a mixed research design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The target population of the study was the 134 food and beverages processing firms in Nairobi City County. A sampling frame of this study included a list of the 134 processing companies in Nairobi City County that were members of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers as of 2021. The study utilized simple random sampling. A sample size of 100 was selected with the aid of Yamane 1967 formula. Data was collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was pilot tested at 10 food and beverages processing companies in Kiambu county. These pilot study questionnaires were filled out by warehouse managers. Internal consistency was tested using the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The questionnaires were all be subject to expert review and opinion from at least two external experts for face, content and construct validity. Further, the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 29 was used to analyze the data. Using content analysis, the qualitative data was analyzed. Quantitative data was analyzed using statistical methods involving descriptive and inferential data. A multiple linear regression model was applied to analyze the relationship between the variables. Correlation analysis was also performed. In this study, the findings were presented using tables and graphs. Data presentation made use of percentages, frequencies, means and other means of central tendencies. The study revealed that most Kenyan food and beverage processors schedule transport on demand, improving flexibility and time management. On volumetrics, most firms increase warehouse storage, reduce stock-outs, and reduce empty space. Most companies do not cut warehouse floor travel time, fulfill huge quantities, or create picking zones for waveless picking. Most organizations maintain appropriate aisle space for warehouse equipment functioning and periodically repair and maintain it. Most Kenyan enterprises improve supply chain performance by reducing incomplete orders, increasing useable capacity, minimizing back-up stock, increasing revenues, and minimizing waste. PhD in Supply Chain Management 2026-03-11T00:00:00Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/6907 Supplier Relationship Management and Performance of Food and Beverage Manufacturing Companies in Kenya Bartoo, Dorothy Chebichii Supplier relationship management is the overall coordination, collaboration and information sharing between an organization and its suppliers. The general objective of this study was to analyze the influence of supplier relationship management on organizational performance using food and beverage manufacturing companies in Kenya. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to assess the influence of supplier segmentation, to examine the influence of supplier selection, to determine the influence of supplier development and to evaluate the influence of supplier collaboration on organizational performance and to determine the moderating influence of organization culture on the relationship between supplier relationship management and performance of food and beverage manufacturing companies in Kenya. The study employed a mixed methods research design.. The study used; Grey Theory, Fuzzy Sets Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Social Network Theory and Contingency Theory. The target population was 687 respondents from 226 food and beverage manufacturing companies in Kenya. A sample size of 252 was selected from food and beverage manufacturing companies. Stratified simple random and purposive sampling were used to select respondents. Primary data was collected by the use of a questionnaire with close ended questions. Secondary data was collected through empirical review of studies done in this field. The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was assessed by using Cronbach’s Alpha. Content validity of the instrument was determined by the researcher using expert judgment. Factor analysis, conducted using Principal Components Approach method was used to establish the appropriateness of the questionnaire constructs. Analysis of data was done using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. Findings were presented using tables to give a clear picture of the research findings at a glance. From the regression model, Supplier selection, supplier segmentation, supplier development and supplier collaboration had a significant positive relationship with performance of food and beverage manufacturing companies in Kenya. The study concluded that SRM positively influences the performance of food and beverage manufacturing companies in Kenya. The study recommends that the managements of food and beverage manufacturing companies in Kenya should ensure that SRM at all levels of the organization and its stakeholders is enhanced so that it can contribute to competitive advantage of the firm. Firms should optimize and improve organization culture in order to maximize on their performance. PhD in Supply Chain Management 2026-03-05T00:00:00Z http://localhost/xmlui/handle/123456789/6900 Project Management Practices and Performance of Building Construction Projects in Kakamega County in Kenya Mwanza, Priscah Wabuti Government funded projects schools and markets in Kakamega County continue to face challenges of underperformance regarding cost, timelines and quality. The main objective of the study was to establish the influence of the project management practices and performance of building construction projects in Kakamega County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to establish project planning management, project stakeholder management, project risk management, project monitoring and evaluation influence performance of construction projects in Kakamega County, Kenya and the moderator was project leadership. The study was guided by the theories namely theory of Change, theory of Constraints and contingency theory. The study adopted the research of positivism. The research design was descriptive survey research design, with a target population of 1761. Unit of analysis was construction projects and the unit of observation was employees who consisted of contractors, project managers and site supervisors. The sample size was 326 respondents. Stratified random sampling for all 12 sub counties and purposive sampling for project managers. The study adopted self-administered questionnaires, interviews and project reports as the main data collection tools. Reliability was measured using Cronbach`s Alpha validity and validity was tested using face validity and content validity. The study used descriptive and inferential statistics to obtain the data analysis. Descriptive data was analyzed using frequency distributions and percentages. Inferential statistics correlation and regression to determine the relationship between project management practice and performance of construction projects. Project leadership was the moderator. The findings revealed that project planning and project leadership had a positive significant effect on performance of construction projects. While project stakeholders’, project monitoring and evaluation had a negative and insignificant and risk management had insignificant relationship on performance of construction projects. The study concluded that project planning had clear timelines, resource allocation and task coordination in building construction. Poorly managed stakeholder can hinder project outcome. The study recommends that policy makers should invest in risk identification, assessment and response to building construction projects in Kakamega County, Kenya. PhD in Project Management 2026-02-24T00:00:00Z