| dc.description.abstract | According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), (2010) report, people need
water and sanitation to sustain their health and maintain their dignity. The report further states
that water beyond the household sustains ecological systems and provides input into the
production systems that maintain livelihoods. This means that water permeates all aspects of
human development and lack of its access at household level or for production results to peoples‟
choices and freedoms curtailed by ill health, poverty and vulnerability. Due to the fundamental
role played by water in human life, a number of water projects have been implemented across the
globe, targeting various livelihoods in a number of communities. This has seen the same happen
in Kenya, more specifically in Magarini sub-county where this research targeted. The aim of this
study therefore was to assess the impact of communal projects implementation on the welfare of
local communities, while focusing on the Msumarini shallow wells in Magarini Sub county
Kenya. The study was guided by four objectives that sought to; examine how employment
opportunities created by communal projects implementation impacts on the welfare of the local
communities of Magarini sub county, investigate how health related issues resulting from
communal projects implementation impacts on the welfare of the local communities of Magarini
sub county, examine how social conflicts created by communal projects implementation impacts
on the welfare of the local communities of Magarini sub county and establish how environmental
pollution caused by the implementation of communal projects impacts on the welfare of the local
communities of Magarini sub county, Kenya. A descriptive research design was adopted for the
study since the study was a social research in nature. In the study systematic random sampling
was used in accordance to the characteristics and the elements that the population possessed from
the various 8locations. The target population was about 1680but a population sample of 95was
used as calculated by the Yamane (1967) formula. A pilot study was conducted to check the
instruments reliability and validity and a correlation figure of 0.5 was considered. Data from the
field was collected using a structured questionnaire which was administered personally, via emails,
enumerators and picked them after they had been filled. The data then was sorted out,
coded and analyzed using the SPSS version. Chi-square was used to test the hypothesis. From
the hypothesis tested and the figures in the conversion of the data in chapter four, a number of
issues emerged. For example the Chi-Square values of 21.57, 36.15, 50.97 and 24.77 were found
for impacts on employment creation, health issues, social conflicts and environmental pollution
respectively; meaning that in all the cases the alternative hypotheses were adopted. In relation to
the findings in chapter four, the researcher recommended a number of issues like more funding
for the water projects so as to take care of the unemployment in the area and further areas for
research have been suggested. | en_US |
