Factors Influencing Youth Participation in the Implementation of Informal Settlement Projects in Kenya; a Case of Community-based Projects in Kangemi Sub-county, Nairobi County

Abstract

Youth participation in the community is fundamental in establishing and maintaining adult-youth balance, transparency and accountability in the projects. This means it is important to have as much community involvement as possible by the youth which brings forth ownership, sustainability and success. Most slum residents in Nairobi constitute of the youths and they undergo so many problems such as, poverty, lack of opportunities, low education levels, early pregnancies and early marriages, HIV/AIDs, drugs, and crimes. As such, a lot of attention to encouraging youth participation in implementation of projects within the slums is needed to strengthen their abilities and boost their employability. The government has tried to improve youth participation in development programmes and bring up policies like Youth fund and youth empowerment in slums. These problems have however been increasing as the embracing of these great ideas by the youth is not there. This study investigated the factors affecting youth participation in project implementation in Kangemi Sub- County slums in Nairobi County which include; levels of awareness, personal factors such as age, socio-cultural factors, and accessibility to opportunities. The simple random sampling technique was used to select three youth community based projects so that each has an equal chance of inclusion. To select youth members of groups the researcher used Purposive sampling technique. A sample size of between 20% and 30% is good enough for data through random sampling. A sample of 60 respondents was selected from a total of 90 youths and officials. Data was collected using selfadministered questionnaires then entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 where descriptive and inferential statistics (Correlation and regression) were used to analyze. The findings were presented in percentages and frequency tables. The questionnaire return rate was 91.3%. The statistical results show a relationship between the dependent and independent variables of the research was significant. The level of awareness indicated the highest correlation at 0.755 while the level of accessibility to opportunities followed at 0.624. Personal factors showed the least correlation at 0.107, while socio-cultural factors indicated 0.238. The study recommends that project leaders and stakeholders in community projects use youth friendly strategies like, sports and peers. The study recommends that the project leaders and the education system find ways of encouraging them to take up available opportunities while creating new ones. The study recommends that age of the youth, their marital status, and education are not ignored when addressing issues influencing youth participation in implementing of community projects. The study therefore recommends that project managers develop strategies to ensure that these levels do not lessen but in fact encourage more females to come forward. The study also recommends that there is need for follow up on the financed projects to ensure that they address marginalized groups. This study recommends that an identical study is done in other areas other than the area of study to establish the other factors influencing youth participation in community project implementation. The findings obtained in this study are important as they will be of benefit to the youth aspiring to be part of the implementation of various projects in both the public and private sector since it highlights the barriers facing the youth when participating in project implementation. Lastly, the findings of the study shall be used as literature by other scholars in future research to fill gaps in research.