Factors influencing completion of public buildings construction projects in Machakos county, Kenya
Abstract
This research study sought to establish the factors influencing the completion of public buildings
construction projects in Machakos County, Kenya. The research objectives were; to determine the
extent to which payment processes influences completion of public buildings construction projects
in Machakos County, to understand the influences of contractors‟ technical capacity on completion
of public buildings construction projects in Machakos County and to determine to what extend
communication influences completion of public buildings construction projects in Machakos
County. The research sought to answer the questions; to what extend does payment processes
influence completion of public buildings construction projects in Machakos County?, to what
extend does project communication influence the completion of public buildings construction
projects in Machakos County?, and to what extend does contractors technical capacity influence
the completion of public buildings construction projects in Machakos County. The research design
for this study was descriptive survey which aimed to provide a description for the state of affairs of
the problem under investigation through questions designed to solicit the required information. The
study was a census of 56 composed of all 30 contractors, all14professionals and all 12 project
liaison officers representing clients for30 major public buildings construction projects undertaken
within Machakos Sub County of Machakos County since the inception of County governments in
2013.Theresearch instrument used for data collection was a self-administered questionnaire
comprising of both closed and open- ended questions. A pilot study was conducted on selected but
similar respondents to pre-test the research instrument for accuracy and validity. This was
achieved through the assistance of the supervisor and other experienced experts in research field.
Data was analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Scientists) version 22 software and
results presented in form of tables.All the factors suggested in the objectives of the study vide:
payment processes, project communication and contractors technical capacity were found
toinfluence completion of public buildings construction projects in Machakos County. The study
revealed delay of payments in payment processes objective at the 87.5% yes response and 2.51
agree score on the likert as the most significant among the factors followed by technical
qualification of staff in contractors‟ technical capacity objective at 75.0% yes response and 2.54
agree score on the likert. Lastly, effective communication and regular site meetings in project
communication objective attracted72.9%) yes response and 2.35 agree score on the likert. On
relationship between the factors, it was found that there exists a very weak (r = 0.017) correlation
between payment processes and completion of projects, a fairly weak correlation (r= 0.113)
between project communication and completion of public building construction project but the
study showed fairly strong (r = 0.429) association between contractors‟ technical capacity and
completion of projects. The common believe that projects fail because of inadequate financing was
disapproved by the findings that even well-funded projects can fail due to poor the payment
processes. The researcher recommended integrated training approach for all parties involved in
public buildings construction projects to synchronize their understanding on key construction
project implementation issues, particularly payment processes.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5962]