Factors influencing the performance of e-waste projects in Murang’a County, Kenya

Abstract

All used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal are considered e-waste. Rapid changes in technology, changes in media (tapes, software, MP3), electronics‟ falling prices and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. Murang‟a County is one of the five counties in Central region of the Republic of Kenya. Being a new establishment of the Kenyan Constitution 2010, the County has heavily adopted electronic and digital communication but has not adequately addressed the disposal of the obsolete electronic gadgets. The researcher set out to examine factors influencing the performance of e-waste projects in Murang‟a County. The independent variables included disposal regulations, financial resources, technology and corporate social responsibility. The researcher used descriptive study design and acquired data from 94 respondents out of 102 respondents who were sampled from the 340 employees of the county Government. Data was collected using structured questionnaire after a pilot study was conducted to ascertain the validity and reliability of the research instruments. The sample was selected using stratified purposive sampling. Data coding and analysis was done using SPSS technique and results presented in tables. The analyzed results indicated the lack of proper regulations for the disposal of the e-waste was the leading factor influencing the e-waste projects followed by the availability of appropriate technology, corporate social responsibility and availability of financial resources had the least effect. The researcher fronted that effective e-waste projects would ensure that the environment is conserved and would as well provide a business opportunity and employment to the locals. The study concluded that all the factors investigated had an influence on the performance of e-waste projects. The study recommended that more regulation should be formulated to give guidance on e-waste management. It also recommended that county staff should be given more training on e-waste management best practices. The study also recommended that more financial resources should be allocated to e-waste activities and there should be more social spending on e-waste related projects. The study finally suggested further studies should be done on performance of e-waste projects in other similar counties.