Factors Influencing Implementation Of Public -Private Partnerships In Waste Management: A Case Of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Cities in Kenya are facing challenges in managing waste; this is due to rapid industrialization, population growth and rural-urban migration which has led to high volume of waste generation and as a result posing both environmental and health hazards. To manage solid waste in Kenya, various county governments in Kenya have engaged the private sector in collecting, transporting, disposing and recycling of waste; this kind of arrangement is referred to as Public Private Partnerships. Uasin Gishu County which at one point admitted that it cannot handle waste management has since adopted a PPP where they partner with private firms in managing waste from collection to disposal. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish factors influencing implementation of PPP in waste management in Uasin Gishu County. Public-Private Partnership is recommended to not only enhance efficiency and proper handling of waste by the private partner on behalf of the public partner but also to make this costly venture affordable and sustainable. The objectives of this study were to establish how factors such as cost, technology, personnel and time influences implementation of public-private partnerships in waste management, to investigate the combined influence of cost, technology, personnel and time on implementation of PPP in waste management and to examine how governance moderates the implementation of PPP in waste management. The study utilized cross sectional survey design. The target population for this study was 45; these being 36 directors of the private firms contracted by the County Uasin Gishu and 9 members of staff of Department of Environment at the County of Uasin Gishu. Data was collected using the questionnaire, interview schedule and by observation and inspection of official records and analyzed using Scientific Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive analysis such as standard deviation, mean and percentages was used to show responses on tables. From the findings, the study concluded that cost, technology and time have a significant influence on the implementation of PPP in waste management. The respondents felt that personnel and governance has no influence on implementation of PPP in waste management. The study recommends that there should be pricing policy to ensure that the service is affordable to all households and businesses, that county governments need to have service charters to help in making the PPP process transparent as far as bidding and procurement is concerned and that the use of technology for quality and fast delivery of waste management service and environment sustainability. On personnel, Uasin Gishu has little application of technology and high dependency on manual labor in their waste management activities, it is recommended that the team are trained and equipped with skills that will help in efficient PPP implementation and waste management. Finally, time being a key influence on implementation of PPP in waste management, this study recommends that the County government needs to be involved in offering solutions to issues that cause delay in waste management like lengthy negotiation process and inflexible work schedules.