STRATEGIC INNOVATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Organizations operate in dynamic environments demanding continuous innovation to enhance performance and maintain effectiveness. The National Police Service (NPS) in Nairobi City County plays a vital role in ensuring public safety, yet faces persistent performance challenges including low crime resolution rates, delayed emergency responses, operational inefficiencies, and diminished public trust. Despite rising crime incidents with assault and pickpocketing cases increasing from 6.2% in 2022 to 6.87% in 2023 limited research examines how strategic innovation influences organizational performance within Kenya's policing context. This study examined the effect of strategic innovation on organizational performance of the National Police Service in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was anchored on Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Technology Acceptance Model, and Contingency Theory, which collectively explain how innovations are adopted, accepted, and aligned with organizational contexts to enhance performance. A descriptive research design was employed, targeting 3,000 police officers across various cadres in Nairobi County. Using stratified random sampling, 383 officers were selected, with 298 questionnaires returned, representing a 77.8% response rate. Data were collected through structured questionnaires based on a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using SPSS version 27, employing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. Correlation analysis revealed that service innovation exhibited a statistically significant positive relationship with organizational performance (r = 0.168, p = 0.045), while technological, process, and organizational innovations showed positive but non-significant correlations. Regression analysis demonstrated that strategic innovation collectively explained 58.3% of performance variance (R² = 0.583, F = 55.034, p < 0.001). The study concluded that strategic innovation, particularly service innovation, significantly enhances NPS organizational performance through improved service quality, public satisfaction, and community policing effectiveness. The study recommends that NPS invest in real-time data analytics platforms, process automation, digital literacy training, flexible organizational structures, and expanded community policing initiatives, while institutionalizing strategic innovation within performance appraisal systems and policy frameworks to sustain operational effectiveness.