BRANDING STRATEGIES BY COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ON SERVICE DELIVERY AMONG SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN BUNGOMA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

A decade after the introduction of devolution in Kenya, county governments continue to face challenges in delivering efficient and satisfactory services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Despite the adoption of county government branding strategies such as transparency, accountability, communication, and e-government systems, SMEs in Bungoma County still report concerns regarding service reliability, responsiveness, and trust. This study therefore examined the influence of county government branding strategies on service delivery among SMEs in Bungoma County, Kenya, while testing the moderating effect of political influence. The study was anchored on New Public Management Theory, Public Value Theory, and Institutional Theory, and adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews from 372 respondents drawn from SMEs and county government officials whose job description concerns SMEs. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings established that government transparency branding, accountability branding, communication branding, and e-government branding all had a positive and statistically significant effect on SME service delivery, where the overall level of service delivery was unsatisfactory. The study further found that political influence had a significant moderating effect that weakened the positive relationship between branding strategies and SME satisfaction. The study concludes that effective county government branding strategies enhance SME satisfaction by improving trust, accessibility, responsiveness, and confidence in public services. The study recommends that Bungoma County Government should strengthen transparency mechanisms, improve accountability systems, invest in responsive communication channels, expand digital service platforms, and manage political interference to enhance service delivery outcomes for SMEs