County Integrated Development Plan and Implementation of Affordable Housing Projects in Narok North Constituency, Narok County, Kenya

Abstract

The provision of basic services, secure and cheap housing, and the modernization of slums are the main objectives of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) number 11. Since 1950, the number and scope of national development plans have increased at a rate that is commensurate with the emergence of African national movements and the achievement of independence. Almost all African states consider a plan like this to be one of the fundamental aspects of sovereignty. According to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) tracker, as of 2018, about 50% of urban residents resided in slum neighborhoods. Narok County, Kenya, had a population of 1,158,000 people as of the 2019 census, which puts pressure on land and increases the need for affordable housing. The study sought to determine how the County Integrated Development Plan affects the implementation of affordable housing projects in Narok North constituency, Narok County, Kenya. Since the adoption of the Narok County Integrated Development plan in 2012 there has been a need to access several dimensions of the plan and to what extent it has contributed to the development of affordable housing. The study focused on the following four goals: to determine the influence of the County Annual Plan on implementation of the affordable housing projects in Narok North constituency, to assess the influence of the County Sectoral Plan on implementation of the affordable housing projects in Narok North constituency, and to establish the influence of the County Municipal Plan on implementation of affordable housing project in Narok North constituency and influence of County Spatial Plan on implementation of affordable housing projects in Narok North constituency. Wagner's theory, the theory of project implementation and systems theory served as the study's pillars. Study may enable project managers establish effective plans for project implementation and completion, it might assist government in developing effective affordable housing policies, and it can also help the residents of Narok County to actively participate in the provision of affordable housing and also may allow further research to other scholars in related areas. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and quantitative data was collected through a structured questionnaire and qualitative data using a key informant interview guide. The study also adopted a stratified random sampling targeting 1,150 representing Narok county government departmental employees and tenants occupying housing units provided by the county government. The sample size was determined using the Slovene formula to generate a sample size of 296 respondent. Each of the two strata representing Narok county departmental employees and tenants comprised of 257 and 39 respondents respectively. After approval of the research project proposal, the necessary licenses and documentation were gathered to assist in data collection. The conclusion of the study showed a positive relation between the County Annual Plan, County Sectoral Plan, County Spatial Plan and County Municipal plan in relation to the implementation of affordable housing projects in Narok North constituency. Municipal plan showed a more positive significant impact on the implementation of affordable housing projects. The study recommended a comparative analysis of the Nairobi CIDP as a benchmark to other counties, assessment of challenges affecting county government management and the impact on the implementation of affordable housing projects in Kenya.