Factors Influencing the Implementation of Infrastructure Projects in Public Secondary Schools in Mathira East Sub-county, Nyeri County, Kenya.

Abstract

The increased enrolment of students from the free primary school education and secondly the subsidized Secondary Education has put pressure on the existing physical facilities in most public secondary schools creating a need to develop physical school infrastructure in public secondary schools. However in many public schools there are examples of faulty project implementation such as uncompleted school buildings, schools without necessary instructional materials and infrastructure, school laboratories with little or no equipments, and so on.The purpose of this research study was to establish the factors that influenced the implementation of school infrastructure projects in public secondary schools in Mathira East Sub County, Nyeri County, Kenya. A descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study. In the study all public secondary schools in Mathira East Sub-County were considered as a representative of all public secondary schools in Kenya. The study limited itself to a parent population of 334.A sample size of 121 was selected for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select Principals, BOM chairpersons, PTA chairpersons and Sub-county Education officer. Simple random sampling was used to select teachers. Questionnaires were used as main instruments for data collection. Validity of the questionnaires was ensured through judgment of experts, while reliability was established through test and re-tests method during pilot study. The data collected was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics was used to present the results of the study. The study findings showed that all the independent variables that is; the project management skills of the school heads, stakeholder involvement and availability of funds had a major influence in the implementation of school infrastructure projects. The government through the Ministry of Education (MOE) should organize training programs on project management skills, project finance and project monitoring and evaluation for all the stakeholders involved in school infrastructure projects. The study also portrayed that a glaring gap existed between available funds for the implementation of the school infrastructure projects and the magnitude of school infrastructure projects to be implemented. Therefore more exploration on various ways of funding the implementation of school infrastructure development projects was paramount. The responsibility of developing infrastructure was removed from parents to CDF and County governments. There was therefore need for assessment and clear policy framework to be put in place to regulate the expenditure of county governments on infrastructure development projects in public secondary schools. According to the respondents there was a positive relationship between training of school heads in project management and school infrastructure projects implemention