The influence of community water projects on economic empowerment of community members: a case of Mikinduri Division, Meru, Kenya

Abstract

Provision of improved water supply is part of the integrated approach to rural development. Therefore providing people with a reliable and easy accessible water supply has the potential of increasing the income of households. Community self-help venture.in meeting part of the cost of input to be provided for the community water projects is essential in promoting the effective utilization of the service provided. This study assessed the influence of community water projects on economic empowerment in Mikinduri Division. The research analyzed the economic activities which had been made possible in the area due to these community water projects.

The research was conducted in Mikinduri Division in Meru County and it considered community water projects sponsored by the community itself, the government or non-governmental organizations. The research design adopted for this research was the descriptive survey design. The research targeted the entire Division because of its contrasting socio-economic conditions. It also targeted households in rural areas. Stratified simple random sampling design was used for the study.

A sample of 95 households was selected randomly from the Division. Out of the distributed questionnaires 94 were returned.93.6% of the respondents experienced a reduction in water collection time,72.3% indicated that businesses had been created in their households as a result of the water projects while 64.9% of the respondents experienced a reduction in water borne diseases. Data entry and analysis was done using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented using tables and percentages. Chi-square was used to determine the significance of selected variables on economic empowerment.