Community Participation and Sustainability of Water Projects in Kwanza Sub-County, Trans Nzoia County, Kenya

ABSTRACT: Sustainability of water project is crucial for direct and indirect beneficiaries when a project succeeds. Adequate involvement of all community in projects is still a challenge to most of the less developed countries such as Kenya. A lack of sufficient community engagement in project formulation, financing, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation has seen many projects dying before their fifth birthdays. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of community participation on sustainability of water projects in Kwanza sub-county, Trans-Nzoia County. A descriptive survey research design was used. The target population of the study was 32,181 households in Kwanza Sub-county, Trans-nzoia County. The researcher used Sekaran (2003) sample size determination formula to give a sample of 380 Households. The researcher
used simple random sampling to select the households. The study used questionnaire to collect data. The researcher pre-tested the questionnaire on 38 households in the neighboring Kiminini Constituency. The researcher ensured and enhanced the validity of the questionnaires through expert reviews. Split-half method to compute the reliability of the instruments.Data was analyzed both using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive analysis generated frequencies, proportions, mean and standard deviation while inferential analysis generated Pearson’s correlations coefficients. Findings were presented through frequency and percentage tables. The researcher observed ethical consideration such as informed consent, confidentiality,
no harm and beneficence.There was a significant association between Project formulation and Sustainability of water projects, Spearman’s rho(r) = 0.761, p<0.000, CL=95%.There was a significant correlation between project financing and sustainability of water projects, Spearman’s rho(r) = 0.709, p<0.000, CL=95%.There was a significant correlation between project implementation and sustainability of water projects, Spearman’s rho(r) = 0.373, p=0.061, CL=95%.There was a significant correlation between Monitoring and Evaluation and sustainability of water projects, Spearman’s rho(r) = 0.496, p=0.010, CL=95%.The government and other development agencies need to enhance community involvement in project formulation, project financing, execution and monitoring and evaluation. There is therefore need to establish the moderating role of project leadership on the relationship between stakeholder participation and sustainability of community water projects in Kwanza sub-county.
KEY WORDS: Community participation, Project formulation, Project financing, Project implementation, Project monitoring and evaluation, Sustainability of water projects.