Influence of Project Management Practices in the Implementation of Constituency Development Fund Projects in Rongai Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Government projects are extremely important to the citizens and residents of any country since they are part of the foundation that supports national development. The CDF report 2017/2018 indicated that some constituencies in Kenya are unable to successfully implement their projects due to lack of clear implementation plans. This trend has left many stalled projects despite the huge amounts of resources allocated. It is, therefore, imperative to investigate the influence of leadership practices on implementation of constituency development fund projects. The specific objectives of this study were to examine the influence of staff analysis, time management, technology, and cost management on implementation of constituency development fund projects in Rongai Sub-County, Kenya. The study was guided by the trait theory of leadership, theory of constraints, diffusion of innovation theory, Pareto principal theory and theory of project implementation. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study targeted all the thirty-three (33) CDF projects in Rongai Sub-County for the financial year 2017/2018. The respondents were the project managers and the project administrators. Purposive sampling was used to select all the project managers and one of the project administrators from each of the 33 CDF projects in Rongai Sub-County hence a sample size of 66 participants. A structured questionnaire was used to facilitate data collection. The research questionnaire was subjected to a pilot test to determine its validity and reliability. The data was analyzed with the facilitation of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Data analysis was subjected to both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The null hypotheses were tested using the t-statistics at 95% confidence level. The results of the study were presented in form of tables and were accompanied by relevant interpretations and discussions. From multiple regressions, it was inferred that technology was significant in explaining the implementation of constituency development fund projects at a 5% significance level, followed by time management and then cost management. Staff analysis was found to be insignificant in explaining the implementation of constituency development fund projects. The study concluded that when acquiring projects staff their previous experience in similar projects, their education and qualification in the project, and their skills in the project should be considered. The study conclude that time management contributes substantively in the timely completion and delivery of projects within the desired time.  The study concluded that most of the project managers do not utilize technology in the implementation of constituency development fund projects. The study concludes that the constituency development fund projects are not normally completed within the approved budget. The study recommends the adoption of leadership practices by project managers who participate in constituency development fund projects and further research should be conducted to investigate the other factors that may influence implementation of constituency development fund projects