Effects of Stakeholders’ Engagement on the Performance of Disability Education Programmes in Machakos County, Kenya

This study examined the effect of stakeholder engagement on the performance of disability education programmes in Machakos County, Kenya, with particular reference to the Agency for Disability and Development in Africa (ADDA). The study was motivated by the need to enhance the effectiveness, inclusiveness, accountability and sustainability of disability education programmes through participatory project management practices. Stakeholder engagement was examined in terms of participation in programme planning, involvement in decision-making, consultative meetings, feedback mechanisms and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in programme processes. The study was anchored on the Transaction Cost Theory and adopted a descriptive research design. The target population comprised 1,000 programme managers, coordinators, educators, administrative staff and beneficiaries drawn from ten disability education programmes, from which a sample of 278 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and simple linear regression in SPSS Version 29. A response rate of 95% was achieved, with 264 valid questionnaires returned. The overall mean score for stakeholder engagement was 3.70. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a moderate, positive and statistically significant relationship between stakeholder engagement and programme performance (r = .507, p < .001). Simple linear regression showed that stakeholder engagement explained 25.7% of the variance in programme performance (R² = .257), with a positive and significant regression coefficient (B = 0.513, p < .001). The study concludes that stakeholder engagement is an important contributor to the performance of disability education programmes. It recommends greater stakeholder participation during programme planning, structured consultation forums, stronger feedback mechanisms and meaningful involvement of persons with disabilities in programme decision-making.Keywords: Stakeholder Engagement, Programme Performance, Disability Education Programmes, Inclusive Education, Machakos County, Kenya