Abstract

Many public sector agencies fail to attain their performance targets because of flaws in their strategy implementation processes. There is no guarantee that the formulation and implementation of strategies automatically translate to organizational success owing to the complex yet delicate nature of strategic management. Thus, the present study examined the effect of strategy implementation on the performance of Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), focusing on strategic leadership adoption, resource allocation, communication system, organizational culture, and organizational structure as the independent variables. The study was anchored on the resource-based view theory, Edgar Schein Theory, systems theory, and the upper echelons theory. A descriptive design was used, and the target population included 187 top managers working indifferent departments at KeNHA.  The study used stratified and random sampling techniques to select94 participants to the study. Closed-ended questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the participants. A Likert scale of 1 to 5 was used to evaluate the participants' responses. The means, standard deviations, and aggregate means of the participants’ responses were calculated and presented in tables. The results indicated that strategic leadership adoption, resource allocation, communication system, organizational culture, and organizational structure influenced KeNHA’s performance but to varying extents. Strategic leadership adoption had the biggest effect on performance. The research concluded that strategic leadership significantly and positively impacted KeNHA’s performance. The management of KeNHA and other road management agencies ought to prioritize strategic leadership practices in their strategy design and execution to achieve better performance outcomes. The findings exhort further research on strategic management aspects in KeNHA’s external environment and their effect on organizational performance.