Stakeholder Engagement Strategies and Service Delivery Among Humanitarian Organizations in Turkana West Sub-County, Kenya

Purpose: This study sought to examine the relationship between stakeholder engagement strategies and service delivery among humanitarian organizations in Turkana West Sub-County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the influence of public participation, communication mechanisms, collaborative partnerships, and feedback mechanisms on service delivery. Methodology: The study was guided by Collaborative Governance Theory. A descriptive research design was adopted. The target population comprised 180 respondents drawn from United Nations agencies, international and local non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and refugee-led organizations operating in Turkana West Sub-County. Using census sampling, all 180 respondents were targeted, of whom 131 returned completed questionnaires, representing a response rate of 72.78 percent. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, while inferential statistics comprising Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships among the study variables. The findings were presented using tables and supported by narrative explanations. Findings: The study established that respondents generally agreed that stakeholder engagement practices were implemented by humanitarian organizations. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that public participation, communication mechanisms, collaborative partnerships, and feedback mechanisms each had a strong positive and statistically significant relationship with service delivery. Multiple regression analysis further showed that communication mechanisms had the greatest influence on service delivery, followed by feedback mechanisms, public participation, and collaborative partnerships. The study concluded that effective stakeholder engagement is fundamental to improving the timeliness, accessibility, and responsiveness of humanitarian services in Turkana West Sub-County. Unique Contribution to Theory Practice and Policy: The study recommended that humanitarian organizations institutionalize meaningful public participation, strengthen communication systems, promote inter-agency collaboration, and establish effective feedback mechanisms to improve programme implementation and accountability.