| dc.description.abstract | This study sought to establish the factors influencing the perfonnance of community based organizations in Yatta district, Machakos County, Kenya: A case of Makutano Community Development Association. Given the enormous scale of development aid to Africa and the existence of so many development models and approaches, a critical examination of these models is imperative. In Kenya, where foreign aid is the norm and results very mixed, a study on factors that have influenced the performan'ce of locally developed approaches and models could provide food for thought in community based organizations (CBO) practice. An extensive review of the literature indicated a knowledge gap as no academic research has been conducted to establish the critical factors that have influenced the perfonnance of CBOs in Yatta District, Machakos County in Kenya.
The specific objectives of this study were to establish the influence of mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding on the performance of Makutano Community Development Association (MCDA). What influence is played in each case by such factors as mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding? This question lied at the heart of this study. In this study true CBO perfonnance was viewed as inextricably tied to the enhancement of the well-being of neighbourhood residents. The study employed a descriptive study design in the form of a census survey incorporating all the 85 CBOs affiliated to MCDA in Machakos County.
The data collection instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire served by the researcher on respondents through drop and pick method. Questionnaire reliability was estimated by calculating Cronbach's alpha. Reliability for the overall instrument was estimated at 0.96, which is above 0.70. Of the 85 questionnaires distributed to CBO officials, 66 useable forms were returned producing a valid response rate of 77%. Data was analyzed in SPSS (statistical package for social sciences). Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to analyze data. Pearson's coefficient of correlation was calculated to analyze the strength of the relationships between variables. Multiple regression analysis was used because it provides estimates of net effects and explanatory power. Results showed that a positive significant correlation at 0.01 level was found between each one of the organizational variables and the level of performance in community based organizations.
The result implies that the mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding do influence the performance of CBOs and account for 63.2% of the variation in CBO's Performance. The results further indicate that the perceptions of CBO officials of the organizational factors such as mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding were better; the level of CBO performance was higher. Therefore, the researcher recommends that the factors at the organizational level that could be structured to form internal ecosystem to spur performance include mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding.
Notably, the multiple regressions indicated that among different organizational factors, mission and organizational competency had more effect on improving CBO performance. This finding has some implications on organizations and lays emphasis on the role of the CBO mission and organizational competency in providing suitable environment for improving performance. This study contributes to the science and body of knowledge and present evidence to inform and solicit discussions on performance of CBOs and provides suggestions for further research. | en_US |
