Factors Affecting Community Participation in Nakuru County Government Projects

Abstract

Lack of effective structures for people’s participation projects in developing countries has been a major constraint against widespread development. The purpose of this study aimedat evaluating factors affecting community participation in the Kenyan Informal Settlements Improvement Programme (KISIP) project in Naivasha Sub-county of Nakuru County. Objectives of the Study included examining the influence of political will on community participation in development projects, establishing the influence of legal framework, investigating the influence of beneficiaries’ level of education on community participation and determining the influences of the nature of the project on community participation. This study was based on community participation ladder theory by Arnstein’s. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design with a cross-sectional approach that was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from the respondents whereby the target population was six hundred and fifty two (652) individualsin the KISIP and the implementing staff. The study adopted stratified sampling to determine the subjects. The total size of the sample was 118. The study used structured questionnaires to collect primary data. Validity and reliability of the instruments was established through consultation with the supervisors and through a conduct of a pilot study in the study among respondents that did not participate in the main study. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 along the objectives of the study while qualitative data was used to supplement interpretation of quantitative data. The study revealed that elected local leaders are supportive of KISIP in Naivasha Sub County but their limited willingness on the part of Nakuru County Government to support KISIP projects financially. The local community has a significantly high sense of exclusion and thinks that KISIP projects are dominated by a small group of insiders. The study further revealed that there is lack of clarity in the KISIP project legal guidelines and that KISIP projects are significantly vulnerable to legal challenges, though there are significant legal gaps in ensuring that violations of legal requirements in KISIP are firmly dealt with in case they occurred. The study also revealed there is significant confidence that local residents are able to understand KISIP projects technical documents but there is lack of transparency in the implementation of KISIP projects. The community members were not sufficiently informed about their rights, privileges, and obligations with respect to KISIP projects. The study further revealed that the management of KISIP projects excludes the community from interacting with the project implementers significantly. The study recommends that politicians should empower and incorporate the community in the running of the project. In addition, project implementers and managers should clarify the legal aspects of KISIP project to the community. The project management should also be more open in hiring and recruiting members of the community to ensure KISIP does not portray itself as being obscure to the community, while the management should design and implement monitoring tools that are friendly to community participation. In addition, the management should regard input from the community when implementing the project. Findings from the study has provided insight to both the national and county governments on how best they can engage the citizens in community participation in governance and on future of community development projects undertaken at the devolved level. It has also added to the body of knowledge and could therefore be important to students and researchers interested in the area of research.