Social-economic Factors and Implementation of Community-Based Conservation Projects in Ololorashi - Olgulului Group Ranch, Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

Project management considers social and economic issues that have an impact on project planning, execution, and results. Community norms, cultural practices, financial concerns, resource allocation, stakeholder participation, and resource and educational inequities are a few of these variables. People's participation in project design and implementation is influenced by their socioeconomic circumstances (Kakumba & Nsingo, 2018). This research explores the impact of social and economic factors on project management, focusing on variables such as community norms, cultural practices, financial concerns, and resource allocation. It emphasizes the influence of socioeconomic circumstances on people's participation in project design and implementation. The importance of considering various elements from the social and economic spheres, such as employment possibilities, economic growth, and education, is highlighted. The implementation stage of a project is defined, using the example of construction projects, and the ecological challenges faced by the Ololorashi - Olgulului Group Ranch are mentioned. The study's objectives in investigating the influence of education level, traditional practices, infrastructure, and household incomes on a Community-Based Conservation project in the mentioned ranch are outlined. The research design employed is descriptive, with a sample size determined using the Krejcie and Morgan table. Multiple regression analysis is utilized for data analysis. This study employed descriptive research design. From a total target population of 1271, an optimal sample of 132 being ranch owners and 24 project officials using the Krejcie and Morgan table from 1970. The multiple regression analysis formula utilized was as follows -: Y = a+β1X1+β2X2+β3X3+ β4X4+ε. The results in summary model show that the four independent variables considered in this study account for 0.8604 which is 86.04% and this indicates the remaining 13.96% is contributed by other factors which were not considered in this study and therefore it is imperative to conduct further research to explore the additional factors which influence implementation of community based conservation projects. The significance value, which stands at 0.0178, is below the conventional threshold of 0.05. Consequently, the model demonstrates statistical significance in its capacity to predict the influence of social-economic factors; on the implementation of community based conservation projects in Kenya. The results indicated that all the four independent variables influence performance of the conservation projects and thus the study rejected all the null hypotheses which presumed that all the four independent variables have so significant influence on the implementation of community based conservation projects. This current study focused on socio-economic factors that influence implementation of community based conservation projects and found that the four independent variables considered in this study account for 86.04%. This study therefore suggests a further study to explore other factors which were not accounted for in this study and their influence on the implementation of these conservation projects