IMPACT OF CLAN CONTROL ON THE EXECUTION OF DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION INITIATIVES IN KENYA

The Department of Immigration Services under the Department of Immigration Services plays a central role in border control, citizenship management, and facilitation of international travel in Kenya. Effective execution of its initiatives is critical to national security and public trust. However, concerns persist regarding the influence of clan-based control on administrative processes within public institutions. Despite broader studies on ethnicity and governance, limited empirical evidence exists on how clan control affects the execution of immigration initiatives. This study addressed this gap by examining the impact of clan control on initiative execution within the Department. Guided by Agency Theory, which explains how personal interests may conflict with organizational goals, the study tested the hypothesis that clan control has no significant influence on initiative execution. A quantitative research design was adopted. Data were collected from 60 respondents and analyzed using simple linear regression. The findings revealed a strong and significant negative relationship between clan control and initiative execution (R = 0.654, R² = 0.428, p < 0.001). Clan control explained 42.8% of the variation in execution performance. The regression coefficient (β = -0.726) indicated that increased clan influence substantially reduces effective implementation. The model was statistically significant (F = 43.737, p < 0.001). The study concludes that clan control undermines merit-based management and weakens project performance. It recommends strengthening transparent recruitment, enforcing accountability systems, enhancing ethical leadership, and expanding digital systems to reduce discretionary influence and improve institutional performance.