Stakeholder Participation In Project Life Cycle Management, Risk Management Practices And Completion Of Urban Roads Transport Infrastructure Projects In Kenya

Abstract

The focus of this study was to establish the influence of stakeholder participation in project lifecycle management, risk management practices, on completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya. The unit of analysis was the road projects implemented by Kenya Urban Roads Authority. The study objectives were; to determine the influence of participation in project initiation, design, construction and project closure on the completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects. Pragmatic research paradigm was chosen for this study to facilitate mixed research methods. The study adopted a descriptive survey and correlational research design. The target population was 1593 comprising of Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) Project Implementation teams‟ members (375), KURA project planners and Directors (23), Road contractor‟s project management teams (781), Consultants construction supervision teams (85), Representatives of Project Affected Persons (213), and Complimentary service providers (116). The total sample size of the study was 309 respondents. The sampling procedure was purposive and simple random sampling. A five-point Likert type scale questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data while interview guides were used to collect qualitative data. The statistical tools of analysis that were used for quantitative data were frequencies, percentages, arithmetic means and standard deviation while statistical tools that were used for inferential statistics were Pearson‟s Product Moment Correlation, Linear Regression, and Multiple Regression. Fisher (F) was used to test the null hypotheses. The study found that stakeholder participation in project initiation had a positive and significant influence on completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya (r = 0.859, R2 =0.737, F (4, 209) = 146.501, p<0.001<0.05). The findings helped to establish that stakeholder participation in project planning had a positive and significant influence on the completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya (r = 0.838, R2 =0.703, F (4, 209) = 123.43, p<0.001<0.05). According to the findings, stakeholder participation in project execution had a positive and significant influence on completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya (r = 0.796, R2 = 0.634, F (4, 209) = 90.503 and p<0.000<0.05). The findings from the study further revealed that stakeholder participation in project closure had a positive and significant influence on the completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya (r = 0.855, R2 = 0.730, F (4, 209) = 141.597 and p<0.000<0.05) and that combined stakeholder participation in Project Life Cycle Management significantly influence completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya. The results were (r = 0.849, R2 =0.721, F (4, 209) = 134.785 and p<0.000<0.05). In respect to risk management practices, the findings show that it had a positive and significant influence on completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya (r = 0.895, R2 =80, F (4, 209) = 211.128 and p<0.000<0.05) and that significant relationship between Combined Stakeholder participation in project lifecycle management and completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya depends on risk management practices (R2 = 0.863, R2Δ = 0.142, F (5,208) =106.341, p<0.001<0.05). In general, the seven hypotheses which had been stated in null form were tested and rejected leading to the acceptance of alternate hypotheses. The study concluded that stakeholder identification had the greatest influence on completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya followed by needs assessment, setting of goals and objectives and feasibility studies; that, there was a positive influence of stakeholder participation in project planning on completion of urban road transport infrastructure projects in Kenya and there is need for key stakeholders to have the necessary qualification and experience in developing a work breakdown structure for the project. The study recommends development of a policy framework in the urban road transport infrastructure projects to be enacted to sensitize stakeholders on their participation in the entire project life cycle management stages. The study recommends that Governments should develop a framework to sensitize potential developers or their representatives, a mandatory structured pre-construction investment seminar with the aim of sensitizing them on the significance of every stage of a project lifecycle management.