| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the Study was to investigate the degree to which stakeholder management influence project sustainability in Compassion International/Kenya, Kilifi Cluster. The objectives of the Study sought to examine influence of stakeholder identification and analysis, communication and participation and empowerment on project sustainability. Research questions to guide in the Study were developed from the objectives.
The literature reviewed showed that attainment of sustainability in donor funded projects has been a challenge globally. An effective stakeholder management would enhance project sustainability. This involves properly managed stakeholder identification and analysis process that would enhance identifying of the power, interest and stake that each stakeholder holds, hence help in engaging the right stakeholders at the right time for the right work in the project planning and implementation process. In addition, stakeholder communication and involvement whereby the stakeholders pass and receive relevant information amongst them is crucial, so that all of them are fully involved in the project and own the project. Moreover, stakeholder empowerment is critical part of the stakeholder management and it involves training and capacity building of the stakeholders to enable them to be self reliant and economically independent at the termination of the project.
The research design selected for this study was descriptive research with a sample size of 127 people selected from among 238 people comprising of Child Development Workers, Church Partnership Committee members, parents and children selected through random sampling. The research tool administered was the questionnaire. The collected data was collated and analyzed manually by the use of descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies and was presented using tables.
The Study findings revealed that there was a clear gap in the understanding of who the real owners of the project were. The independence of the beneficiaries after donor exit and what would happen to the beneficiaries if the donor exited were also revealed to be matters which undermine project sustainability. The study also showed that primary stakeholders needed more empowerment especially in regard to their role in contributing materially and their involvement in the planning and implementation phases of the projects' life-cycle for them to be able to own the project. Dependence syndrome was apparent among the beneficiaries, most of who were of the opinion that the projects would not continue after the donor exit and that their families would still need help even after the project termination.
The Study recommends first, capacity building of the CDWs and CPCs on the practices and principles of the Stakeholder Identification and Analysis. Secondly, the stakeholders' capacity should be built to enable them grasp the concept of project ownership and the projects' leadership to involve the primary stakeholders more in all the phases of the project life-cycle. Thirdly, there needs to be empowerment and strengthening of the stakeholders' initiatives in order to help them attain economic freedom and self reliance as opposed to perennial dependence on donor aid. | en_US |
