DETERMINANTS OF SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL WATER PROJECTS IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF THE NETHERLANDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION (SNV) SUPPORTED WATER SCHEMES IN KAJIADO COUNTY

Abstract

The central problem of this study was that despite the government efforts coupled by donor aid to enhance rural water projects sustainability, performance has continued to deteriorate with high project malfunctioning. Causes of the high project failure have not been adequately discussed; hence minimal intervention. To this end, the project purpose was to establish the determinants of rural water projects sustainability in Kenya with a focus on NGO supported projects. The study considered sustainability as the dependent variable and sector policy, post implementation impact evaluation, choice of technology and water committee management skills as the independent variables.    A descriptive research design was adopted and stratified sampling utilized.  Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis was used to analyze the research data.  The study established that there is a strong positive influence on sustainability of rural water sustainability attributable to units of change of all the independent variables. There was a positive correlation of 0.504 between sector policy and sustainability; 0.296 between choice of technology and sustainability; 0.370 between water committee management skills and sustainability and 0.219 post implementation impact evaluation and sustainability.  The study recommends further review and study of the sector policy, post implementation impact evaluation, choice of technology and water committee management necessary for achieving sustainability of rural water supplies. Further research on areas requiring post implementation support is also recommended as many rural water facilities begin to experience challenges after the third year of implementation. Key Words : Sustainability, Rural Water Project