Influence Of Management Practices On Sustainability Of Women Projects In Murang’a South Sub-county, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of management practices on sustainability of women projects in Murang’a South Sub-County, Kenya. It aimed at the following objectives: to establishing the influence of Leadership, Training, Financial Management and Monitoring and Evaluation on sustainability of women projects in Murang’a South sub-county, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was employed for the study. The study targeted 620 women projects in Murang’a South Sub-County. The sample comprised of 93 women groups, 93 women leaders and one gender officer. Stratified random sampling was used to select the 93 groups while purposive sampling was used to sample the women leaders and the gender officer. Data was collected using two instruments: Chairladies Questionnaire (CQ) and Gender Officer Interview Schedule (GOIS). The test-retest method was used to assess reliability of the instruments. The collected data was edited, coded and analysed using statistical package for social Sciences (SPSS) computer software. The analysis considered the inferences that were made from the opinions of the respondents. The study found that there were 620 active women projects in Murang’a South Sub- County and only 200 were initially funded by external donors. However, only 60 projects were still running after the donors left. The study found that 42(49.4%) of Chairladies were primary graduates. This constrains the level of management of the groups since the skills and knowledge acquired from primary education is not adequate to run a group effectively. It also found out that 43(50.6%) of the Chairladies had attended a leadership course during their tenure. Also 69(81.2%) of the women projects had not undergone capacity building since they took over leadership of their groups. The study also established that 67(78.8%) of the Chairladies carried out teamwork activities to enhance members’ cohesiveness and the principle inclusiveness, 62(72.9%) of the women leaders did not consult with the donors of the project while 67(78.8%) of the women project leaders do not network with other groups within or outside the sub-county. The study found that 44(51.8%) of the leaders of women projects in Murang’a South had not attended any form of training after the initial funding. The study also found out 46(54.2%) of the projects in the Sub-County use reports, 25(29.4%) use budgets, while 14(16.4%) use records to manage finances. In addition, 49(57.6%) of the women projects experience difficulty in repayment of loans. The study also found out that 49(57.6%) of the women projects had carried monitoring and evaluation after initial implementation with observation and group discussions been the most popular tools. It also established that 70(82.4%) of the leaders felt that Monitoring and Evaluation help in sustainability of women project. The study established that insufficient funds, diseases, high level of illiteracy among the Women Leaders, lack of markets for their produce, leadership wrangles, lack of adequate funds, members’ conflict on sharing of dividends, conflicts in groups and mismanagement of funds, poor record keepings and general politics as the major challenges facing sustainability of women project. The study concluded that sound management practices are significant ingredients needed to enhance sustainability of women projects in Murang’a South, Sub-County. The findings will sensitize the Ministry of Gender and other donors on the aspects to consider when funding women projects in order to enhance their sustainability.