Project Management Practices and Performance of Water Projects in Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract: The population of Makueni County from the statistics shows that 35% are able to get fresh quality water, compared to national average of 60%. The study objective was to investigate the effects of management practices and water projects in Makueni County, Kenya. However, this research study sought to investigate the effect of project planning and project team building on water project performance in Makueni County, Kenya. Descriptive research design was used in this study. The study targeted 37 water projects in Makueni County. The unit of observation comprised of 3 project engineer and 2 site managers from each of the targeted water projects. The total target population was 185 project engineers and site managers. The sample size of this study was determined by use of Yamane formula (1967). The samples size was therefore 126 respondents. The study relied on primary data which was collected through use of questionnaires. Descriptive and Inferential statistic was used to analyse the quantitative data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The relationship between the dependent and independent variables was determined by Multivariate Linear regression. The research study concluded that project planning and project team building had significant positive effect on water project performance. This research, the results showed that Project Planning and Project Team Building were the major factors that affect the water projects and suggest the following recommendations: Project Planning in the water projects performance, study recommends that there is need where unforeseen expenses or budget overruns is managed promptly and effectively, the allocated budget matches the financial requirements of the water project, the WBS facilitates efficient assignment of responsibilities and allocation of resources and adjustments or improvements to the WBS are made as necessary during the project execution phase. This will enhance water projects performance in Makueni County. There is need to enhance Project Team Building in the performance of water projects. This research recommends the collective experience of the project team contributes positively to project planning and execution, also there is a need for the project team to receive adequate training to perform their roles effectively and the training provided is relevant and beneficial to the project's success. This will enhance the performance of water projects in Makueni County. Keywords: Performance of Water Projects, Project Planning, Project Team Building. Title: Project Management Practices and Performance of Water Projects in Makueni County, Kenya Author: Rose Ndunge Mutua, Dr. Muchelule Yusuf International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 13, Issue 3, July 2025 - September 2025 Page No: 347-355 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 09-September-2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17083674 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/project-management-practices-and-performance-of-water-projects-in-makueni-county-kenya