Influence of Community Participation In Project Management Processes On the timely Completion Of Cdf Projects In Kanyekini Ward –kirinyaga County, Kenya

Abstract

The CDF initiative was intended to uplift the living standards of the Kenyan peopleat the grassroots level by introducing balanced development across the country; this has enabled Kenyans to experience the value of government money and resources. However, after several years of implementation of the model, it is evident that many CDF projects are not completed on time. This has resulted into wastage of public funds and the uplift of living standards of the Kenyan people not satisfactorily achieved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of community participation in project management processes, as one of the contributors to timely completion of CDF projects in Kanyekini ward-Kirinyaga central constituency. This study used descriptive survey methodology. The target population was 32,333 direct beneficiaries where a sample of 100 project beneficiaries were selected using simple random selection method. Information from the target local community was collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics.The study found out that facilitated focus groups were the most used decision making methods in identifying the projects and that initiation helps identify the precise problem areas that need improvement. The study also found out that initiation provides immediate short-run feedback on whether quality improvement efforts are succeeding. The study found out that project beneficiaries had not been approached directly to join any of the CDF projects activity teams during the CDF projects planning and implementation, however, where participation occurred, their participation was valued fairly well and that during implementation deadlines are met to help stay within schedule, budget and credibility. The study concluded that there were no formal meeting held by the project implementation team to give an update of the progress of the project during the project implementation and that the views, concerns or recommendations of the project beneficiaries was not solicited concerning the progress of the CDF projects. The study also concluded that facilitated focus groups were the most used decision making methods in identifying the projects. The study finally concluded that participatory project implementation has the highest effect on timely completion of CDF projects, followed by participatory projects identification, while participatory project monitoring and evaluation has the lowest effect on the timely completion of CDF projects in Kanyekini Ward, Kirinyaga County. The study recommended that project managers together with project management team should come up with other methods and strategies of decision making to avoid bias problems. This study also recommends that strategies for monitoring and evaluation for good quality and feedback should be devised. The study further recommended that strict scrutinisation of project teams be done to ensure that members of the community are represented and a criterion for selecting projects activity teams be clearly outlined. The study finally recommended that project managers and their team should introduce frequent meetings with project beneficiaries and allocate time for them in their schedules. This will open an avenue for people to share their views and opinions regarding the projects at hand.