PROJECT GOVERNANCE AND COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS IN THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT–SUSTAINABILITY RELATIONSHIP: EVIDENCE FROM HUMANITARIAN NGO`S IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA
PROJECT GOVERNANCE AND COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS IN THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT–SUSTAINABILITY RELATIONSHIP: EVIDENCE FROM HUMANITARIAN NGO`S IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA
Kwamboka Mercyline - MBA Project Management, Bed. Arts, Department of Management Science School of Business, Economics and Tourism, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Franklin Kinoti - Senior Lecturer, Department of Management Science, School of Business, Economics and Tourism, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Josphat Kyalo - Lecturer, Department of Management Science, School of Business, Economics and Tourism, Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The sustainability of humanitarian NGO-funded projects remains a persistent concern because project continuation depends not only on the delivery of planned outputs but also on the quality of stakeholder relationships, institutional arrangements and community conditions within which interventions are implemented. Although stakeholder engagement is widely recognized as important to project sustainability, existing explanations provide limited understanding of the mechanisms through which engagement is translated into sustainable project outcomes and the contextual conditions under which such effects may vary. This article therefore examines project governance as a mediating mechanism and community characteristics as a moderating condition in the relationship between stakeholder engagement and sustainability of humanitarian NGO-funded projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Stakeholder engagement is conceptualised as a composite construct incorporating stakeholder identification, stakeholder analysis, stakeholder communication and stakeholder monitoring. Project governance is conceptualised through accountability systems, conflict-resolution processes and governance frameworks, while community characteristics capture cultural norms, values, practices, cultural sensitivity, community support and engagement. The article is theoretically anchored in Stakeholder Theory, complemented by Resource Dependence Theory and Governance Theory, while the Triple Bottom Line provides the sustainability perspective. The conceptual model proposes that stakeholder engagement influences project sustainability both directly and indirectly through project governance, while community characteristics condition the strength of the stakeholder engagement–sustainability relationship. The article addresses a theoretical and empirical gap by moving from a direct-effect explanation of stakeholder engagement towards an integrated mechanism-and-context model of humanitarian project sustainability.
