The role of community participation in the district focus for rural development planning strategy: A case study of Busia district Kenya

Abstract

This study is on the role of community participation in the District Focus for Rural Development (DFRD) planning strategy in Kenya. using Busia district as a case study For many years in Kenya, the planning and implementation of rural development programs has basically been the responsibility of the Central Government. This top (center) down approach to planning was carried out from the Central Government's headquarters in Nairobi. This approach to planning continued until 1983 when the DFRD strategy was introduced. It was realized that the spread and trickle down effects of the center-down approach had proven over the years to be far less potent than was originally anticipated The DFRD strategy was, therefore, to encourage grassroot (community) participation. in the identification, planning and implementation of development projects at the district level. Throughout this study it was conceived that one of the problems Kenya faces in the efficient implementation of the Df'RD is the role of community participation DFRD is still centrist and elitist in its orientation with little or no actual community participation Both primary and secondary sources of data were used in this study Tn the collection of primary data, purposive sampling procedure was used with administration of one set of questionnaire. The techniques of dala analysis adopted in this study were both descriptive and analytical in nature. The Factor Analysis (FA) statistical test was applied by deriving cross-sectoral indicators of development in Busia district between 1983 to 2002. Thirty-four variables were selected based on a wide range of areas of regional planning including social, economic, service structures and physical development patterns From the analysis, it was found that community participation in the DFRD planning policy implementation is an evolving system of factors that influence and is influenced by each other, directly or indirectly within Busia district. There is no single causative factor. The academic .\i5l,l1i/icancc of this research is that it provides a working Irnmework on participatory planning in policy implementation and the empowerment or the local communities in the development process From the study's findings and conclusion, it is evident that the state or underdevelopment in Kenya makes autonomous participation by the people in DFRD planning un-obtainable objective The realization of this objective depends very much 011 the capacity of the people to understand the planning environment and in the absence of that understanding, the presence of the Central Government of Kenya (CGOK)must be strengthened at the grassroots level in order to guide the people in the beneficial and exploitation of local and national resources. The study recommends to the policy makers, planners and researchers that for effective community participation in the DFRD Planning. constitutional and legislative reforms needs to be put in place, supported by an equitable and consistent financial framework Future researchers should look into designing a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) management tool as . well as identify capacity building programs in order to strengthen community participation in the DFRD.