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Corporate Sustainability Strategies and Performance of Multinational Manufacturing Firms in Kenya
(School of Business and Leadership Studies – Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management), 2026-11)
Wambui, Irene
The manufacturing industry is important in the economic growth of Kenya, but multinational manufacturing corporations keep facing fluctuating performance, despite the increasing regulatory and stakeholder pressure to practice sustainability. Research on the influence of sustainability strategies on the performance of firms in Kenya is scarce in terms of empirical research. This study analyzed how corporate sustainability strategies influence the performance of multinational manufacturing companies in Kenya. In particular, identified the effect of the sustainability strategies of the environment, social, and governance sustainability strategies on the performance of firms. The general objective of the study was to assess how corporate sustainability strategies influence firm performance, while the specific objectives were to determine the effect of environmental sustainability strategies, examine the effect of social sustainability strategies, and assess the effect of governance sustainability strategies on firm performance. The study was based on triple bottom line theory, stakeholder theory, resource-based view theory, and legitimacy theory. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional explanatory design, which sampled 116 multinational manufacturing companies in Kenya. The collection of primary data was carried out with the help of structured questionnaires that were administered to the senior managers. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with the help of SPSS were used for data analysis. The results indicated that the three corporate strategies were found to be significant and positive to the performance of the multinational manufacturing companies in Kenya. Social sustainability was found to be the best predictor of the firm performance (β = 0.386, p < 0.05); environmental sustainability showed the highest coefficient (β = 0.241, p<0.05); and governance sustainability showed the highest coefficient (β = 0.184, p<0.05). The overall regression model was statistically significant and accounted for 63.1% of the variance in firms' performance (R2 = .631), suggesting that the three types of corporate strategies collectively had a significant impact on firms' performance. The study also concluded that all the null hypotheses were rejected, which means that the three strategies of environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and governance sustainability have a significant positive effect on individual firm performance. They found that corporate strategies are critical to the performance of the multinational manufacturing companies in Kenya. Social sustainability strategy and governance sustainability strategy were the next most influential factors affecting firm performance, followed by environmental sustainability strategy. The study reveals that corporate sustainability strategies have a significant impact on the performance of the companies, of which environmental sustainability is the strongest predictor, followed by social sustainability and governance sustainability. It suggests the reinforcement of energy efficiency, waste management, pollution control, employee welfare, occupational safety, community involvement, transparency, accountability, and ethical leadership. The Government of Kenya and other stakeholders should create enabling policies to encourage sustainable practices and good governance to improve the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of multinationals manufacturing companies in Kenya
Influence of Strategic Management Practices on Non-Financial Performance of Private Primary Schools in Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi County
(School of Business and Leadership – Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management), 2026-11)
Muraya, Hellen Wanjiku
This study examined how strategic management practices affect the non-financial performance of private primary schools in Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. Although private primary schools contribute significantly to access to basic education, their sustainability remains a concern. The number of private primary schools declined from 13,699 in 2018 to 8,838 in 2022, highlighting challenges in the sector (KNBS, 2022). The study addressed limited empirical evidence on strategic management and integrated non-financial performance in urban Kenyan private primary schools. Specifically, it sought to determine whether strategic leadership, strategy implementation, and strategic control influence non-financial performance measured through teacher retention, enrolment stability, and institutional sustainability. The study was anchored on the Resource-Based View, Contingency Theory, and Systems Theory. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The accessible population comprised 287 private primary schools that had operated for at least ten years, from which the study sampled 74 schools using Yamane’s formula and stratified sampling. Data were collected from school administrators and teachers using structured questionnaires. Of the 148 questionnaires distributed, 103 were returned and found usable for analysis, representing a response rate of 69.6%. We assessed validity through supervisor review, alignment with the conceptual framework and literature, and construct assessment, and we assessed reliability using Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.920). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. The regression model was significant (R² = 0.531, p < 0.001). Strategic leadership had a significant positive influence on non-financial performance (β = 0.470, p < 0.001), as did strategic control (β = 0.328, p = 0.006). Strategy implementation was not a significant independent predictor (β = 0.021, p = 0.866). The study contributes theoretically by extending RBV and Systems Theory to private primary schools and refining understanding of the complementary role of strategic management practices. It recommends strengthening strategic leadership, strategic control, and supported strategy implementation to enhance teacher retention, enrolment stability, and institutional sustainability.
Strategic Management Practices and Organizational Performance of Housing Construction Companies in Kenya: A Case of Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi
(School of Business and Leadership – Master of Business Administration (Project Management), 2026-11)
Okoko, Habel
This study examined the effect of strategic management practices on the organizational performance of housing construction companies in Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi County. The study investigated the effect of financial management practices, technology adoption, and government policy on organizational performance. There is limited empirical evidence on the combined effect of these strategic management practices or organizational performance of housing construction companies within the local context. The study was anchored on the Resource-Based View (RBV), Stakeholder Theory, and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A descriptive research design was adopted, targeting managerial staff from housing construction companies operating within Kasarani Sub-County. Using Yamane's formula, a sample size of 166 respondents was selected. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires, while data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, including correlation and multiple regression analysis. Out of the 166 questionnaires distributed, 148 were successfully completed and returned, resulting in a response rate of 89.16%, which was considered adequate for analysis. The reliability test confirmed that all study variables achieved Cronbach's Alpha values above the recommended threshold of 0.70, indicating that the research instrument was reliable. Descriptive analysis showed that financial management was the most highly adopted strategic management practice among the firms (M = 4.12, SD = 0.62), followed by organizational performance (M = 4.08, SD = 0.60), technology adoption (M = 4.05, SD = 0.58), and government policy (M = 3.89, SD = 0.66). These findings suggest that most housing construction companies place considerable emphasis on sound financial management while progressively embracing technology and complying with government regulations. Correlation analysis revealed that all the independent variables had positive relationships with organizational performance. Financial management recorded the strongest relationship (r = 0.68), followed by technology adoption (r = 0.60), while government policy showed a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.52). Regression analysis further established that the overall model was statistically significant, with R = 0.74 and R² = 0.55, indicating that 55% of the variation in organizational performance could be explained by the combined effect of financial management, technology adoption, and government policy. The ANOVA results also confirmed that the regression model was significant (F = 102.6, p < 0.001). Among the predictor variables, financial management had the greatest influence on organizational performance (β = 0.41, p < 0.001), followed by technology adoption (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) and government policy (β = 0.25, p = 0.001). The study concludes that strategic management practices play a significant role in enhancing the performance of housing construction companies in Kasarani Sub-County. Effective financial management, increased adoption of technology, and compliance with government policies contribute positively to organizational performance by improving operational efficiency, decision-making, and competitiveness. The study recommends that construction firms strengthen financial planning and internal control systems, invest in modern construction technologies, and enhance compliance with regulatory requirements. Additionally, government agencies should simplify regulatory procedures to create a more conducive business environment for the construction industry. Future studies should examine other determinants of organizational performance, including leadership style, organizational culture, innovation capability, and supply chain management, across different geographical regions to broaden the understanding of strategic management practices in the construction sector.
Jesus Christ and the Triple Threat in Kenya: Centering Women’s Everyday Christologies Among Luo-Nyamreche Community Health Promoters in Siaya County
(School of Theology – Doctor of Philosophy in Theology (Systematic Theology), 2026-11)
Owino, Godfrey Adera
Christians believe and assert that Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” is addressed to every individual and generation in every context. Therefore, the quest for a relatable Christ figure in touch with the lived realities of the people has remained a prolific area for theological inquiry. As such, this research is a theological exploration of a public health concern in Kenya addressing the question: “How is Jesus’ promise of life in abundance appropriated in the context of Adolescents and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR) advocacy?” Through Narrative ethnography of stories from purposively sampled Luo-speaking women in church ministry and who are also community health volunteers known as Nyamrerwa (singular) or Nyamreche (plural), the study uses the African women Talitha cum hermeneutical framework to identify, theorize, highlight, and analyse women Christologies that are utilized in everyday life to promote Adolescents and Youth Sexual and reproductive health in the context of the triple threat challenge of Gender based violence, Teenage pregnancies, HIV infections. The study concludes that these women’s Christologies are oral, embodied, and performed; are based on a hermeneutic of life and flourishing; are undergirded in Jesus’ diakonia, and such Christologies bequeath the women with agency to curate and promote an everyday intersectional faith and health-based approach to the triple threat challenge. Such an approach enables adolescents and youths to contest, to rise, to live, and to thrive against religio-cultural structures and narratives that (re) produce and perpetuate all forms of exclusion and dehumanization based on gender, sexuality, and health status. The study contributes to African Christian theology and AYSRHR by illuminating African women's lived and oral Christologies at two interlinked levels: the ideological–discursive level, which engages questions of Jesus’ identity and significance, and the material–experiential level, which attends to the micro-politics of AYSRHR, gender, sexuality, and health in everyday life.
Participatory Communication and Community Empowerment in the Digital Age: A Case Study of Chuka Youth Information Centre, Tharaka Nithi County
(School of Communication and Computer Studies – Master of Arts in Communication, 2026-11)
Rugendo, Gift Akinyi
Participatory communication is increasingly recognized as an important approach to community empowerment because it promotes dialogue, inclusive participation, shared decision-making and local ownership of development processes. However, community-based organizations still face challenges related to unequal participation, access to information and the digital divide. This study examined how participatory communication contributes to community empowerment in the digital age with Chuka Youth Information Centre (CYIC) in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, as a case study. The study explored the participatory communication approaches used at CYIC, their contribution to community empowerment, the role of digital technologies and the challenges affecting participation. The study was guided by Participatory Communication Theory, Paulo Freire’s Dialogical Theory and Jan Servaes’ Multiplicity Paradigm. A qualitative case study design was adopted with 27 participants purposively selected from CYIC-related programmes and activities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed manually using thematic analysis guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach. Findings show that CYIC facilitates participation through community dialogue, consultation, shared decision-making, collaboration, civic engagement and feedback. Participants linked these practices with improved access to information, having improved self-confidence in expressing views, local ownership and collective action. Digital technologies, especially WhatsApp and mobile communication, enhanced face-to-face interaction by enabling information sharing, mobilization, follow-up and continued interaction. However, unequal access to devices, high data costs, limited digital literacy skills and lack of internet connectivity constrained meaningful participation for some community members. The study concludes that hybrid participatory communication, which integrates face-to-face and digital approaches, provides a more inclusive basis for community engagement. It recommends that, in order to strengthen digital inclusion, the capacity of facilitators and volunteers be built, and that accessible offline participation methods be developed to support equitable community empowerment.

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