Influence of Community Participation on Implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project in Tharaka-nithi County, Kenya

Abstract

There has been growing research interest in projects seeking to empower communities to sustainable livelihoods. Of special interest is the role of the local community in the development of these projects. Community integration into the project design is claimed to be a good practice in project management that promotes sustainable impacts. In Kenya, community involvement is not only a right but also a legal requirement. However, past studies have narrowly constructed community involvement from the aspect of information sharing and awareness thus negating the underlying capacities for greater participation. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Community Participation on the implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. The research was guided by four objectives namely: to establish the extent to which community resources influence implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project in Tharaka-Nithi County; to determine how community engagement influences implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project in Tharaka-Nithi County; to investigate how community leadership influences implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project in Tharaka-Nithi County and to examine how the combined Community Participation influences implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project in Tharaka-Nithi County. Participatory theory of development supported by system theory of organization guided this stud. The study used a correlational survey design. The target population was 150 comprising of 141 leaders of farmer-groups in Muringa Community and 9 members of the technical management committee of the Muringa Irrigation Project. A sample of 109 was selected using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table of sample determination. Proportionate stratified random sampling method was used to select 102 leaders of farmer-groups and 7 members of the Muringa Irrigation Project management committee. Quantitative data was collected from the farmer-group leaders using structured questionnaires and qualitative data was collected from the project technical management committee using key informant interviews. A pilot study was conducted in Mwea Irrigation Scheme whereby related irrigation projects were being implemented. Reliability of the questionnaire (0.807) was ascertained using Cronbach’s coefficient at the acceptable levels of 0.7. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. Relationships between variables were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlational Coefficient. Regression analysis was used to test the fitness of the model in predicting the dependent variable. Hypotheses was tested using Fisher (F) test at 95% confidence level. Results was presented in tabular form. The results indicated that Community Participation (community resources, community engagement and community leadership) separately and jointly had significant influence on the implementation of Muringa Irrigation Project. Recommendations are made to the designers and planners of development projects to ensure that local participation capacities are assessed and integrated into the project design and implementation for greater empowerment and sustainability of projects. Also, there is need for Government formulate operational guidelines and frameworks for community participation in local development projects as per aspiration of the Constitutional of Kenya 2010 so as to promote equity and fairness in local capacity development. Future studies should test the findings of this study in disaggregated types of projects for greater generalization of the findings.