Critical Success Factors and Performance of Water Projects in Machakos County, Kenya

Abstract

The increasing crisis on water causes a big threat towards the progress of the world to viable development1in the new1millennium. However, performance of water projects especially in the developing economies have registered low performance levels. This is evidenced by complaints of7stalled water7projects, projects7taking long to7complete, poorly implemented7projects, and indeed7white elephant7projects. This study therefore sought to analyze critical success factors on performance of water projects by Machakos County Government, Kenya. The study7was guided7by four variables7which included funds availability, stakeholder’s participation, technical ability and organisation culture. The7study was anchored7by the resource-based7view theory, agency theory, community participation theory and management theory of project management. The7study used7descriptive survey research7design whereby 434 solar-powered new boreholes, 240 dams and pans, 216 river weirs and 2 huge dams were assessed. This formed the studies unit of analysis. The unit7of observation was7184 project7managers, Project coordinators, independent contractors, technical staff and community leaders whereby a sample of 126 was picked using the Yamane Formulae. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire and data was7analysed using statistical7package for social science7version 25. Quantitative7data was analyzed using descriptive7statistics and7presented using frequencies, percentages and Measures of central tendencies. Further a7multiple linear7regression model7was used to show the relationship7between dependent and7independent variable. The7study established that, funds availability plays a critical role in performance of water projects funded by Machakos County. Further that stakeholders’ participation is paramount in enhancing the performance of water projects in Machakos County; to beef up this initiative Machakos county government had developed a comprehensive stakeholder participation plan, among the involved were local community beneficiaries, the businessmen, contractors, the Government regulatory bodies and all who ensured quality accountability in the overall implementation process for water projects. The study concluded that even though the technical7ability had a positive7significant effect7on performance7of water projects in7Machakos County, it’s however regrettable that the current technology used by the county is not the best compared to current trends. Results also pointed inconsistencies with monitoring and evaluation process, in effort to adjust to the identifies weakness, Machakos county government was keen on providing regular training to members of the public for maintenance and operations of projects for water like sand dams and boreholes. The study recommended that all county governments must always ensure proper projections are made prior commencement of the projects’ works. Also, the management of water projects funded by the counties should come up with effective communication channels between parties engaged in7project implementation7process. The7study recommends that for the purposes of enhancing technical capability and capacity, county governments should embrace the current drilling machineries and equip county engineers with skills that match with current trends. Given that the success of county water projects depend on strong cohesive organization culture, it’s therefore paramount for all counties to continually nurture their organizational culture for better results.