Sustainability of community based and managed rural water projects in Kenya remains a challenge as it has ever been. In spite of concerted efforts to transfer ownership of rural water projects to beneficiary communities and to increase participation of the communities in the operation and maintenance of these facilities, more than a third of all rural water projects fail within the first few years of development. This paper examines the determinants of sustainability of community operated water projects in Central Nyakach Sub-County, Kisumu County, Kenya. This paper is based on an empirical study that sought to examine how community participation influences sustainability of community water projects in in Central Nyakach Sub-County of Kisumu County, Kenya. Employing a descriptive cross-sectional design, and from a target population of 320 residents of Nyakach Sub-County, the purposeful sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 175 respondents. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of percentages and means. Content analysis was also done for qualitative data. The results revealed that community members’ involvement in all the project phases from planning through to the building and management of the community water projects was low. The study concluded that there was significant influence of inadequate community participation on the lack of sustainability of community water projects in Central Nyakach Sub-County. The study recommended that it would be prudent for development partners in water projects to allow the community members to identify their needs, prioritize the type of water projects, actively participate in the budgeting process, participate in implementation as well as actively undertake monitoring and evaluation of project activities and processes.
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In-Text Citation: (Nyakwaka & Benard, 2019)
To Cite this Article: Nyakwaka, S., & Benard, M. K. (2019). Factors Influencing Sustainability of Community Operated Water Projects in Central Nyakach Sub-County, Kisumu County, Kenya. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(7), 108–130.
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