Stakeholder Consultation and Implementation Water Projects: A Case of Machakos County, Kenya.

Abstract

For projects to be successfully implemented, consultation between the implementing agencies should be factored in as a project planning and management process. This paper looks at the influence of stakeholder consultation on the implementation of water projects in Machakos County, Kenya. The study targeted 172 water projects under implementation in the County of Machakos with respondents being seven members of project management committees. A simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 17 water projects. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 120 respondents managing 17 water projects. Quantitative collected data was analysed using descriptive (means, standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages) inferential statistics (correlation statistics). The study established a strong positive correlation (r = 0.652) between the strategy of consulting stakeholders and the implementation of water projects. The study concluded that increased stakeholders’ consultation would result in effective water projects implementation in the county. The study recommends that there is a need for the identification of link persons or officials who will always represent them during the implementation process.