REASSESSING CAPACITY BUILDING REFORM IN PERFORMANCE OF WORLD BANK FINANCED AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS IN TRANS-NZOIA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to re-assess the import of capacity building reform
in the performance of agricultural projects funded by the World Bank in TransNzoia
County. The researcher adopted descriptive survey design using the
principles of mixed-mode research. Target population of the study was 800
farmers and 15 officials; the sample size was 268 respondents determined using
simplified Yamane formula. Quantitative data was collected using a structured
questionnaire with 12 Likert-type statements while qualitative data was
collected using key informant interviews and focus groups. The study is
grounded on pragmatism philosophy that complements epistemological,
methodological and axiological underpinnings desired in mixed methods
research. Qualitative data was analyzed descriptively using central tendency
while inferential data was analyzed by regression and correlation with the aid of
the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS), version 20.0. From the
research findings, using t-statistic it was established there existed a significant
relationship between capacity building reform and performance of agricultural
projects by r =0.199, (p-value< 0.05), R2 = 0.139, meaning capacity building was
responsible for 13.9% variation in performance of agricultural projects. These
results have unique contribution to the theory of project management, supports
transformative learning theory in capacity enhancement and provides
documented analysis on the utilization of capacity building models in projects.
In terms of policy, considering that the government of Kenya is working to
develop systems and structures to ensure projects operate within the value for
money confines, this study provides empirical evidence to support policy
formulation on capacity building. The findings will contribute immensely to the
growth of project management discipline by providing empirical data critical in
bridging the gap between the desired and the actual capacity needs. The study
therefore provides documentary evidence to support the re-engineering of
capacity building approaches in modern projects and programs.