Stakeholder Engagement Strategies and Judicial Service Delivery: Evidence from Kenya's North Rift Region Courts

Author: Kisitei Kosgey Mathew, Dr. Nehemiah Kosgei Chenuos, Dr. Anne Mwangi

Date: 2026

Abstract: Case backlogs, lack of staffing and growing public distrust persist and hamper service delivery in Kenya's judiciary, particularly in the North Rift region's rural courts. The impact of stakeholder engagement tactics on the provision of services in Kenya's North Rift division's courts was investigated. The study was based on Freeman's (1984) Stakeholder Theory and used a convergent parallel mixed methods design consisting of a descriptive cross-sectional survey and semi structured interviews. Using the Taro Yamane (1967) formula and Neyman (1934) optimal allocation, a stratified sample of 221 respondents (172 judicial staff, 27 judicial officers and 22 justice consumers) was taken from the target population of 495 spread across 10 court stations in 6 North Rift counties. In SPSS version 27, the data were analyzed using multiple linear regression, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and theme analysis for qualitative data. In a model that explained 71.6% of the variance in service delivery (R² = 0.716, F(4,207) = 130.157, p < 0.001), stakeholder involvement was the third strongest of the four change management predictors (β = 0.312, t = 5.938, p < 0.001). Collaboration between the judiciary and lawyers was rated the highest (M = 4.25), feedback mechanisms were the lowest (M = 4.10) but were unevenly distributed geographically with court stations in the periphery having lower levels of engagement with court stations in towns like Eldoret. This study finds that stakeholder engagement is a strategic, not just a procedural, instrument for judicial reform, and suggests institutionalized, geographically balanced feedback and consultation processes.

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