EFFECT OF INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION ON STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN WESTERN REGION, KENYA

County governments in Kenya have been in operation since 2013, but the performance of most of them is still an issue for debate despite the reforms that have been put in place. Consequently, for the achievement of exceptional performance in the current dynamic and uncertain socio-economic environment, a blend of buoyant leadership capabilities and potent management styles is required. Transformational leadership has been touted as a possible remedy to such scenarios. The study sought to determine how intellectual stimulation affects strategy implementation. The study was anchored on the power and influence theory of leadership. A pilot study was conducted in Trans Nzoia County. The study was a census targeting 268 respondents and was anchored on a positivism paradigm and utilized a descriptive-correlational research design. A purposive sampling design was adopted and data was collected using questionnaires and an interview guide. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics descriptive analysis by the aid of SPSS version 23. Results were presented in form of tables and models. The findings revealed that intellectual stimulation significantly accounts for a 30.1% variation in strategy implementation. Further, intellectual stimulation (β=0.448, P=0.000) has a significant statistical effect on strategy implementation. The study concluded that intellectual stimulation has a significant effect on strategy implementation. The study recommends that county management need to develop the competence of their staff at their place of work, appreciate each staff as an individual rather than as a group, and ensure fair workload distribution. These will encourage staff to perform their jobs effectively and put extra effort into their work hence strategy implementation.JEL: G18; H11 Article visualizations