Browsing by Author "Muchemi, Emily Wangui"

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    Critical Success Factors and Performance of Community Livelihood Projects in Machakos County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-11) Muchemi, Emily Wangui
    Community-based projects have had a tremendously positive influence on development in many countries around the world. The efforts of community-based projects are having a positive impact on an estimated two million people in Kenya. However, it has been noted that the majority of community development initiatives in Kenya have failed to sustain themselves, become self-sufficient, and the communities have failed to continue running them. Therefore, the present research investigated how critical success factors influences the performance of community livelihood projects in Machakos County, Kenya. The independent variables included; stakeholder involvement, monitoring and evaluation, project planning and communication. The study was guided by contingency theory, stakeholder theory and theory of change. The research design for the study was descriptive. In Machakos County, Kenya, seven community livelihood projects that were finished between 2018 and 2022 were the study's target population. To ensure that every respondent is fairly represented, the study employed stratified sampling. A simple random sampling method was used to choose the respondents. 259 respondents make up the sample. The data for this study were gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire's validity was assessed in this study using criteria validity, construct validity, and content validity. This study was evaluated for reliability using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient test. Thematic analysis analyzed qualitative data and narrative presentation of results followed. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages). Inferential statistics (regression analysis, correlation analysis) were used to determine the extent to which one variable affects another. Tables and figures were used to display the quantitative results. The study carried out diagnostic tests that included; linearity tests, normality tests, homoscedasticity test and multicollinearity tests. The study's conclusions would benefit other stakeholders, the government, and policy makers by shedding light on how crucial success factors impact project performance. These stakeholders included the management of the organization that implements these projects. The study found that stakeholder participation, project planning, monitoring and evaluation and communication had a positive significant influence on the performance of community development projects in Machakos County, Kenya. The study concludes that stakeholders are the key component of any project and organization. Project planning entails thinking through the goals of the project, establishing what a successful project might entail, evaluating the timeline, and organizing the tasks. M&E provides a detailed blueprint of everything that went right and everything that went wrong during a project. The project management requires effective communication in order for work to proceed smoothly and on schedule. The study recommends that for a project to be successful all the stakeholders need to have a clear understanding of the objectives and processes. The project managers should start by identifying stakeholders by focusing on identifying everyone who will affect or be affected by the project and things are likely to be much smoother during their planning process. The project managers should carry out a needs analysis to help to identify the underlying causes of problems or challenges faced by the target population and to identify potential solutions that can be used to address these issues. The project managers should establish the purpose of their work by understanding why they are working on the project and how each step will advance the project. The research highlights the need for further studies on other key success factors to address the 35.5% gap identified in the regression analysis. Additionally, it suggests exploring community development project performance in counties beyond Machakos County, Kenya.
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    Influence of stakeholder participation on the performance of community development projects in Machakos County, Kenya
    (Research Publish, 2024-04) Muchemi, Emily Wangui; Ngugi, Lucy
    Community-based projects have had a tremendously positive influence on development in many countries around the world. The efforts of community-based projects are having a positive impact on an estimated two million people in Kenya. However, it has been noted that the majority of community development initiatives in Kenya have failed to sustain themselves, become self-sufficient, and the communities have failed to continue running them. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the influence of of stakeholder participation on the performance of community development projects in Machakos County, Kenya. The research design for the study was descriptive. In Machakos County, Kenya, seven community livelihood projects that were finished between 2018 and 2022 were the study's target population. To ensure that every respondent is fairly represented, the study employed stratified sampling. A simple random sampling method was used to choose the respondents. 259 respondents make up the sample. The data for this study were gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire's validity was assessed in this study using criteria validity, construct validity, and content validity. This study was evaluated for reliability using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient test. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages). Inferential statistics (regression analysis) were used to determine the extent to which one variable affects another. The study discovered that the effectiveness of community development projects in Machakos County, Kenya, was positively significantly impacted by stakeholder participation. The study comes to the conclusion that stakeholders are an essential part of every project and company. According to the study, in order for a project to succeed, all parties involved must have a thorough understanding of its goals and procedures.