Effect of Citizen Participation on the Sustainability of Rural Development Projects: A Case of Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Citizen participation has been considered crucial in the efforts to attain project sustainability in government development projects. Practicing poor development practices and failure to prioritize and listen to inputs from beneficiaries could lead to a mismatch of needs and undesirable project outcomes. It is on this basis that the research aimed to explore the effect of citizen participation on the sustainability of rural development projects in Nakuru County Kenya. The objectives of the research were to examine the effects of interactive websites on the sustainability of rural development projects in Nakuru County and to examine the effects of focus groups on the sustainability of rural development projects in Nakuru County. The research was guided by Deliberative Democracy Theory and Social Action Theory. The research utilized descriptive research design and random sampling procedures to acquire 364 respondents from the possible target population of 4,089 people. The research further employed closed and open-ended questionnaires, interview schedules and focus group discussions to collect primary data. Secondary data was obtained from various publications. The study analyzed quantitative data from closed ended questions by editing, sorting and coding them into SPSS 25 for descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was categorized into narratives, discourses and conversations alongside research variables. Quantitative data was presented using means, standard deviations, charts, tables and graphs. Qualitative data was presented using various themes in accordance with the study variables. To ensure ethical guidelines were followed, the project cultivated confidence among the participants by promising them anonymity and confidentiality of their answers. With a beta value of 0.267 and a critical value of 0.000, the research found that interactive websites significantly and positively affect the long-term viability of rural development initiatives in Nakuru County. Focus groups were shown to have a favorable, statistically significant impact on project sustainability (beta = 0.186, p = 0.020).