Factors Influencing Community Participation in Rural Water Supply Projects Funded by the County Government in Gesusu Ward, Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated the factors influencing community participation in rural water projects in Gesusu Ward in Kisii County. In Gesusu Ward rural community water supply projects have been initiated through the county government of Kisii. These projects have always collapsed once the county government pulls out; a trend if not attended to, can hamper future rural development efforts in the ward. Furthermore, cases of lack of project ownership, incomplete projects and low community participation were always experienced. The study was guided by the following research objectives: analyse the extent to which socio-economic factors influence community participation in rural water supply projects in Gesusu Ward, determine the influence of capacity building on community participation in rural water supply projects in Gesusu ward and investigate how community level of awareness influence community participation in community water projects in Gesusu Ward. Descriptive survey research design was used to collect data to answer questions concerning the current status of community participation in water supply projects in Gesusu ward. The respondents were stratified in two categories such as the project beneficiaries and key informants in Gesusu ward. Purposive sampling technique was used to select key informants while simple random sampling will be used to select project beneficiaries. A sample size of 240 was selected from a target population of 2397 beneficiary households. The interview schedules, questionnaires, document analysis and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to collect data. The collected data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques to ensure triangulation. The study concluded that majority of the community members did not participate in planning, implementation and monitoring of water supply projects. The study concludes that the level of education attainment is the social factor that has the highest influence on the effectiveness of community participation in rural water supply projects funded by county government of Kisii. The study further concludes that age, gender and level of income have minimal influence on community participation in rural water supply projects. Majority of the respondents argued that the capacity building workshops experience poor attendance of the key stakeholders and community beneficiaries; it is attended by few county government officers because they are given allowances to attend. These findings imply that the training workshops have not provided opportunities for community members to acquire enough technical skills. Majority of the rural community members were not aware about the water supply projects funded by the county government of Kisii. The county government community development projects undertaken in their ward had not been implemented through participation of all. The low level of awareness could be attributed to inability to access relevant information and limited interaction between the county government officials and community members on issues related to water supply projects. The study recommended that the local community should be empowered through education so that they fully participate in development projects. There is need to sensitize the beneficiary households through civic education to participate in the project cycle process as a way of checking excesses on the part of the county officials and MCAs. Training (capacity building) on project planning, implementation and monitoring be undertaken within the Kisii County and Gesusu ward to enable them properly participate in the water supply projects and development process