Stakeholder Involvement in Project Life Cycle and Performance of Free Early Childhood Education Project in Nairobi County

Abstract

The Nairobi Early Childhood Development Education Project was launched in 2018. The project provides free Early Childhood Education by scrapping levies in 229 public centers with each child receiving a capitation of ksh3, 815. The aim of the project was to ensure access to good elementary education by the children targeting more than 17,000 children. Currently, the project is characterized by congestions in classes, shortage of facilitators, and limited teaching and learning resources. Based on this background, this study sought to understand the influence of stakeholder involvement in the project life cycle. The study focused on involvement of stakeholders in project identification, planning, implementation and evaluation phases and its influence on the performance of the free early childhood education development project in Nairobi County. The study was guided by stakeholder theory. A descriptive survey research design was be employed targeting 229 facilitators working at the 229 public ECD centers, 458 Centre managers, 458 parents and 17 Sub county ECD coordinators. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select respondent’s representative. A sample of between 10-30% was used to sample 15 facilitators, 138 Centre manager, 69 parents and 17 Sub-county ECD coordinators. The primary data for the study was collected using center managers and facilitators questionnaires and complemented with the interviews for parents and Sub-county ECD coordinators to get information on the influence of stakeholder involvement in the project performance in Nairobi County. The research instruments were be piloted in a randomly selected public ECD centre, which was not be included in the main study. The pilot study was used to ensure validity and reliability of the instruments were met. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlations and a multiple regression model with the aid of SPSS V.25 while qualitative data was analysed using thematic discussions. Tables, figures and prose discussion was used to display the findings. All ethical issues were ensured by seeking permission from the university and NACOST as well as obtaining informed consent from the participants. The research revealed that stakeholder involvement in project identification significantly influences the performance of free early childhood education projects in Nairobi County. Active participation in project planning and implementation also led to improved outcomes, including higher teaching staff retention and increased learner enrolment. The study concluded that stakeholder engagement is crucial for the success of free early childhood education projects. The rejection of null hypotheses underscored the significant impact of stakeholders at various project phases, aligning with previous research supporting collaborative decision-making for successful implementation. To enhance project performance, it is recommended to prioritize stakeholder involvement throughout the project life cycle. Providing capacity-building initiatives to stakeholders will empower them for effective contributions. Establishing sustainable engagement strategies with regular feedback mechanisms will enable continuous assessment and improvements.