EFFECT OF PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2024 AFFORDABLE HOUSING LEVY POLICY IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Purpose of Study: This study examined the effect of participatory approaches on the implementation of the 2024 Affordable Housing Levy Policy in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Specifically, it assessed how public participation forums, accessible consultation meetings, digital engagement platforms, timely communication, and opportunities for submitting public views influence effective policy implementation and stakeholder involvement. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive research design using mixed methods. From 686 eligible employees, 253 respondents were selected through stratified and simple random sampling, alongside approximately 10 purposively selected key informants. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and document reviews, then analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and thematic analysis. Findings: The findings revealed that participatory approaches moderately influenced policy implementation, recording an aggregate mean of 3.29 (SD = 1.319), while implementation averaged 3.09 (SD = 1.351). Public participation forums received the highest rating (M = 3.59), whereas adequate time for submitting views received the lowest (M = 3.03). Participatory approaches demonstrated a positive, statistically significant relationship with policy implementation (r = 0.572, p < 0.01). Regression analysis confirmed a significant positive effect (β = 0.241, p < 0.001). However, delayed communication, inaccessible meetings, limited consultation periods, and inadequate feedback constrained meaningful public engagement and effective policy implementation. Conclusion: The study concludes that participatory approaches significantly enhance implementation of the Affordable Housing Levy Policy. Strengthening inclusive consultations, timely communication, accessible participation platforms, and stakeholder feedback is essential. Policymakers should institutionalise meaningful public engagement, improve transparency, and ensure citizens' contributions inform decisions to strengthen policy acceptance, accountability, and implementation outcomes.