Role of Participatory Management in the Sustainability of Constituency Development Fund Projects: A Case Study of Maragua Constituency

Abstract

In the light of bureaucratic governance hitherto observed, introduction of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in Kenya was viewed as a sovereign panacea to the dwarfed and imbalanced local level development that was then common place. In spite of this heavy billing however, impacts accruing from the initiatives remain a pale shadow of the anticipated with a number of them ending up being 'white elephants' and majority recording low sustainability levels. This research sought to determine contribution of Participatory Management in influencing determinants of Constituency Development Fund projects' sustainability. The research study adopted a case study design with target population being CDF project stakeholders within Maragua constituency in Kenya. Semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 89 stakeholders randomly selected from stratified target population distributed across the constituency. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was then applied to determine and assess the relationships through SPSS Version 20.0. The analysis showed that Participatory Management is crucial in inculcating the determinants of sustainability in CDF projects. However, the findings further showed that there was very little stakeholder participation in the entire cycle management of the projects within Maragua Constituency which contributed to low ownership of the projects. The research recommends review of CDF policy to expressly capture procedures of stakeholder engagement. The research further recommends elaborate documentation of data generated from participatory exercises in form of lessons learnt.