Logistics Planning Practices and Performance of Electoral Systems in Kenya.
Authors: Charles Muo , Jackson Ndolo , Sammy Odari 
Published: December 2023

Elections are becoming democracy's bedrock. Even before the great development of African states were created, antagonists attempted to corrupt, undermine, or otherwise disrupt democracy by seeking to subvert elections. The threats on the electoral process are as old as the vote itself: from adversarial governments, terrorist organizations, strikers for the Boss Tweed vote, people who try to wreak havoc hence the survival of democracy demands for the protection of elections. As a consequence, after the 90s Election Administration in African nations, the tendency of some individuals to impede elections has not changed, mentioning a number of electoral fraud cases in the history of African States. In recent years, some of the tactics of such attempts to overthrow democracy have become distinct. Attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in digital networks today improve conventional approaches and have become an increasingly successful strategy. Therefore, the study sought to determine the role of Logistics planning practices on the performance of electoral systems in Kenya. The research design that was used in this study was a longitudinal research design. The population for this study consisted of 373 Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CS/CEO), Deputy Commission Secretary (DCS), Directors, Managers, County Election Managers, and Constituency Election Coordinators within 290 constituencies of Kenya's August 2017 election. A total of 373 respondents were used as the sample size for the study. Data was used as primary and secondary. While self-administered questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect primary data, the study reviewed the previous evaluation reports to seek the secondary data on General election performance. The data was collected and then analyzed by both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The results of this study benefited policy makers, managers, administrators, citizens all whole, researchers, consultants, scholars, and trainers involved in Election Administration. This study tested the null hypotheses that Logistics planning practices had no significant role in the performance of electoral systems in Kenya. Pragmatism paradigm approach and mixed method research were adopted in this study. The questionnaire tested both validity and reliability. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze the collected data with the assistance of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were carried out. The results revealed a moderate positive correlation (R = 0.565) between logistics planning and electoral system performance, with approximately 31.9% of the variance explained by logistic planning. The consequences of these findings are relevant for electoral authorities and policymakers that aim to improve the dependability, participation rate, uniformity, and trustworthiness of election systems through the use of strategic logistical planning. The study's findings on the significance of logistics planning strategies in Kenyan electoral systems suggest recommendations for improvement, including implementing robust logistics planning procedures to optimize resource allocation and minimize delays, prioritizing voter-friendly environments at polling locations, establishing a responsive logistical communication system, and developing cost-effective logistics planning approaches. Additionally, the study indicates a need for further research to identify additional factors influencing electoral system performance and to assess logistics management practices in different contexts, such as the East African region, for a more comprehensive analysis