Beneficiary Participation in Post-Implementation Stages in Slum Upgrading in Secondary Cities of Nakuru and Kitale, Kenya

Abstract

Slum upgrading is the most highly favoured global strategy for improving living conditions with varied positive impacts across settlements. The sustainability of implemented interventions is contingent upon effective post-implementation stages and participation of targeted beneficiaries in the process. However, studies have attributed continued formation, existence and expansion of slums to inefficient post-implementation monitoring, evaluation and maintenance and lack of or inadequate beneficiary participation. This has raised questions about the perceptions of beneficiaries about their participation in the post-implementation stages in secondary cities in Kenya. Therefore, this paper assesses beneficiary participation in the post-implementation monitoring and evaluation, and maintenance of slum upgrading in secondary cities of Nakuru and Kitale, Kenya. The paper is based on an empirical survey conducted in 2019 on the Integrated Urban Housing Project in Nakuru and Building in Partnership: Participatory Urban Planning project in Kitale implemented 15 years ago. Primary and secondary data were collected using a descriptive cross-sectional research design involving a sample of 392 respondents and analyzed quantitatively and thematically. The findings indicate that the guaranteed benefits from the implemented interventions, and clarity in the roles and responsibilities through capacity building intrinsically motivated active participation of beneficiaries in the post-implementation monitoring, evaluation and maintenance of the two projects. Therefore, local authorities and external agencies should encourage interventions that directly benefit individual slum dwellers to boost their intrinsic motivation for participation in the post-implementation stages.

Keywords:Slum upgrading, post-implementation, monitoring, evaluation, maintenance, and beneficiary participation

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/13-12-03

Publication date:June 30^th 2023