Factors influencing improvement of livelihood of slum dwellers by projects funded by non-governmental organizations: the case of Kibera slum in Nairobi county, Kenya

Abstract

This research set out to ask the following questions: What is the influence of management factors on improvement of livelihood of slum dwellers by projects funded by Non-Governmental Organizations in Kibera slum Nairobi County, Kenya? How does aid expenditure influence the improvement of livelihood of slum dwellers by projects funded by Non-Governmental Organizations in Kibera slum Nairobi County, Kenya? How does accountability influence the improvement of livelihood of slum dwellers by projects funded by Non-Governmental Organizations in Kibera slum Nairobi County, Kenya? How does monitoring and evaluation influence the improvement of livelihood of slum dwellers by projects funded by NonGovernmental Organizations in Kibera slum Nairobi County, Kenya? The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The targeted population was 70,938 and 700 project managers and the eventual sample size was 382 heads of households in Kibera slum and 70 project managers. A combination of stratified and systematic random sampling techniques was employed to select a sample of 382 heads of households and 70 project managers; from 35 successful NGO funded projects and 35 stalled NGO funded projects. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics such as measures of central tendency (mean, mode and median) and frequencies. Data was presented using frequency and percentage tables. The study found out that majority of the respondents in Kibera slum had primary education which is considered a factor influencing NGO funded project success. The findings indicate that donor aided projects created self-sufficiency through livelihood projects among the slum dwellers. The findings have shown that donor funded projects have primarily focused on service provision aspects of the livelihood of the slum dwellers. The study recommends that management and communication are among the critical factors in the success of donor funded projects. Stakeholder involvement has a great influence on projects and it is nearly impossible to achieve project outcomes without involving stakeholders in the project processes. The study recommends that there is a need for greater accountability and regulation of donor funded projects operating in Kibera slum. More funding should also be awarded to projects to engage more critical expertise in order to make easy to address project issues and processes. It is important that the implementers of these projects/programs have skills of management, accountability, monitoring and evaluation. Further research is needed on how to help improve community participation in donor funded projects. Future research studies should therefore be undertaken to incorporate a larger number of respondents and project managers in the study.