Leadership Style, Culture and Service Delivery in Public Health Sector: A Case Study of Mbagathi District Hospital, Nairobi City County

The study investigated the influence of leadership style and leadership culture on the quality of service delivery in public hospitals. The target population for this study comprised of 273 employees and 10,000 patients in Mbagathi district hospitals within Nairobi City County. Simple random sampling was used to select 398 employees and patients while census was done on the 8 management staff. This study used primary data, both quantitative and qualitative. Primary data was obtained from the original sources using a structured questionnaire and captured through a 5-point type Likert scale. A Likert scale questionnaire was preferred as it makes it possible to convert responses into quantitative format for ease of data analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Interview guide was also used to obtain information from the management of district hospital. The questionnaires were self-administered using the drop and pick later method. A pilot study was undertaken on 5% of the sample population. Findings indicated that there was a positive and significant relationship between leadership style, leadership culture and service delivery in public hospitals in Kenya. The study concluded that good working relationship between the management and staff, members of staff being conversant with their facility roles and goals, members of staff being well acquainted with their duties and responsibilities influenced service delivery in hospitals. It was recommended that leadership style should involve decision making process, and action oriented decision, performance appraisal and professionalism influenced service delivery in hospitals