Abstract
Objective: This paper sought to assess the influence project initiation phase on performance of slums upgrading projects (PSUP) in various slums of Nairobi city County in Kenya following slum upgrading initiatives by government with aim of achieving first target of sustainable development goal eleven. Theoretical Framework: The study was anchored on empowerment theory that postulates that through coalitions at the community level, members are empowered to effectively collaborate for building of social capital that provides solutions to emerging issues. Method: The study was guided by pragmatism whereby both positivism and constructivism were adopted. Correlational research design and descriptive survey research designs were considered appropriate for the former supported inferential statistics while the latter was ideal for collecting quantitative and qualitative data concurrently. By relying on descriptive survey and correlational research designs, 208 study participants are surveyed out of a sample of 266 drawn the target population of 794. Qualitative data was presented in narrative form. Results and Discussion: The results reveal that even though activities within project conceptualization and setting up of project deliverables are still a challenge, project initiation is to a small extent properly executed due to inadequate stakeholder identification and insufficient community needs assessment process. From the regression analysis, project initiation showed a very strong positive linear and significant relationship with PSUP. The null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the alternate hypothesis and thus concluded that project initiation has a significant influence on PSUP. Research Implications: Stakeholders identification and community needs assessment were not largely achieved thus having a negative impact on project initiation phase and activities therein, there is need for a policy framework to guide the initiation process and ensure that project objectives or goals are people centred. In addition, the slum dwellers should be adequately involved in the initiation phase as this will help mitigate frictions and disagreements preceding project planning and execution phases, unnecessary delays and waste of resources. It is important for all the state agencies involved in slum upgrading in Kenya to adhere to critical needs of the project initiation phase for successful implementation of slum upgrading projects.
Published Version
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