Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>This study investigates the multidimensional factors influencing the implementation of a Management Information System (MIS) at the University of Hargeisa, a public higher education institution in Somaliland. Grounded in Heeks' Design-Reality Gap model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the research examines the relative influence of IT Staff Factors, University Administration Factors, User-Related Factors, Organizational Factors, and Financial Factors on implementation outcomes. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed, drawing on a stratified sample of 214 respondents (167 lecturers and 47 administrative staff) from a target population of 502 university personnel. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank-order correlation, and multiple linear regression, with diagnostic testing for multicollinearity. All five readiness dimensions were positively and significantly correlated with MIS implementation at the bivariate level. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that only Administration Factors (β = .411, p = .001) and IT Staff Factors (β = .202, p = .048) remained statistically significant predictors when evaluated jointly, with the full model explaining 45.0% of the variance in implementation outcomes (R² = .450). User-related, organizational, and financial factors did not retain independent explanatory power. Respondents aged 35–44 and those with two to five years of experience showed significant negative associations with implementation. These findings suggest that MIS implementation in resource-constrained, post-conflict higher education contexts is primarily administration-led and technically enabled, with leadership commitment and IT capacity functioning as the principal mechanisms through which other enabling conditions are mobilized. The study extends Design-Reality Gap and UTAUT theory to an underrepresented Somaliland higher education setting and offers practical guidance for institutional digital transformation strategies.</p>