ROLE OF PROJECT COMMUNICATION ON PERFORMANCE OF WATER AND SANITATION PROJECTS IN SIAYA COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Despite the importance of water and sanitation projects in improving public health and overall well-being, many areas in Kenya still face numerous challenges. Siaya County, located in Western Kenya, has been grappling with water and sanitation challenges for years. Despite the importance of communication, there need to be more studies investigating the role of project communication in improving the performance of water and sanitation projects. Therefore, there is a need for a study that examines the role of project communication on the performance of water and sanitation projects in Siaya County, Kenya. The following specific objectives guided the study: to establish the role of communication implementation on the performance of water and sanitation projects in Siaya County, Kenya; and to determine the role of communication policy on the performance of water and sanitation projects in Siaya County, Kenya. A descriptive design was used in this research. The study targeted all five water and sanitation projects in Siaya County by national and county governments. The unit of observation was ten project managers, 20 representatives of community members, and five government officials. They are forming a target population of 35 individuals. Due to the small size of the study population, the study used a census sampling approach. The primary data for this analysis was collected via a questionnaire. The data obtained was quantitative as well as qualitative. The Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 25 generated frequencies and descriptive and inferential statistics from the quantitative data; the findings were presented in tables and figures. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis and presented in prose form. The study concludes that communication implementation has a positive and significant effect on performance of water and sanitation projects in Siaya County, Kenya. The study also concludes that communication policy has a positive and significant effect on performance of water and sanitation projects in Siaya County, Kenya. From the findings, this study recommends that projects managers should develop a detailed communication plan for each water and sanitation project, outlining clear objectives, target audiences, key messages, communication channels, resources and a timeline. In addition, they should prioritize timely and accurate dissemination of project information to all relevant stakeholders. Set up a regular communication schedule to ensure that updates, progress reports, and important announcements are shared promptly.
Key Words: Project communication, Communication implementation, Communication policy, Water and sanitation projects
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