ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES ON ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AT THE COAST OF KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF “HAZINA YA MAENDELEO YA PWANI’’

Abstract

Community participation, a popular concept among development practitioners is considered an essential ingredient in enhancing the value and meaning of development practice. This research analyzed the application of community participation within Kenya coastal setting using a case study of a community led development project known in Kiswahili as Hazina Ya Maendeleo Ya Pwani, implemented by Kenya Government in partnership with coastal communities. The study adopted the ex post facto study design to determine the influence of community participation on access to environmental resources. The design was chosen for its strength in establishing the relationship between independent and dependent variables in specific cases where the independent variable cannot be manipulated. The study was carried out in six coastal counties of Kenya with a sample population of 326 respondents drawn from beneficiaries of HMP using purposive, proportionate and simple random sampling techniques. Personal observations, Focus Group Discussions and one-on-one interviews were used to collect primary data. Secondary data was collected mainly through document review. Statistical tools used to analyze the data included frequencies, mean, Chi-Square and Multinomial Logistic Regression. The study revealed a high Community Participation Index (2.81) in the overall implementation of HMP projects signifying a high level of community participation. Relatively low COPI (1.80) was demonstrated during proposal development - indicating lack of skill in proposal development. The study concluded that building the capacity of communities in proposal development is necessary for enhancing participation. In the second objective, the study examined perceived benefits of and barriers to community participation among coastal communities. Based on the results, the study concluded that whereas the welfare of the general community seems to be the main driver of community participation, personal benefits appear to be an important factor considered by individuals when deciding to participate. The study also concluded that the concerns of an individual member constitute important barriers to community participation in development initiatives. In objective three, the study interrogated the influence of community participation in enhancing v i access to environmental resources including water, education, health and sanitation. The study concluded that community participation is effective in enhancing affordability of environmental resources (p=0.013) but has no influence on the other dimensions of access comprising availability, geographical accessibility and acceptability. The study, in its fourth objective, assessed the influence of socio-demographic factors on community participation and concluded that, gender (p=0.000 and p=0.002) and community’s level of education (p=0.010 and p=0.024) significantly influenced community participation. However, the study also revealed that age of community members and type of economic activity undertaken had no significant influence on community participation in development initiatives. The study recommends that: (i) to enhance community participation in development, it is important to address the lack of skill in proposal development and the low literacy levels among coastal residents; (ii) it is worthwhile to make gender and educational level considerations in order to stimulate optimal community participation; (iii) development practitioners need to take cognizance of the perceived personal benefits and barriers with a view to develop context specific strategies for enhancing community participation; (iv); there is need to determine other factors besides community participation that influence access to environmental