Critical Analysis of Public Participation Influence on Project Implementation in Kenya: A Review of Kajiado District Development Plan 2008 – 2012

Abstract

The public sector worldwide has been under increasing pressure to improve public service delivery by enhancing outputs and outcomes. Specific targets at the global level have been articulated in the millennium development goals (MDGs), which have been domesticated in the Kenya Vision 2030 and operationalised through the District Development Plans (DDPs) in the rural areas to, inter alia, alleviate poverty. Despite these and previous advancements in rural development approaches the gap between public policy as formulated and implementation remains. This paper analyses the influence of public participation in bridging that persistent gap in Kenya through a case study of sample projects in the Kajiado District Development Plan 2008 - 2012. The assessment has been informed by theories on public policy implementation, public participation, and project management. The research findings show that: (i) only 44% of the projects have been successfully implemented; (ii) there is a strong correlation between public participation and project implementation; (iii) public participation significantly influences project implementation; (iv) merely 24% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed there was public participation during project implementation; (v) 87% of the projects fall under the low-ambiguity low-conflict category of Matland's ambiguity-conflict model; and (vi) some socio-cultural practices have hindered public participation. A further research is required to determine the optimal level of public participation beyond which there would be diminishing returns. That research would need to take cognisance of the administrative top-down implementation approach that Matland advocates for projects with low-ambiguity low-conflict characteristics. Moreover, given that public participation has been anchored in the Kenya Constitution 2010, this should be routinized in the work of government employees by incorporating essential elements in the employee performance contracts system that the government has adopted and implemented as a tool for improved public service delivery and efficiency.