CULTURAL CONSTRAINTS OF WOMEN INVOLVEMENT IN MANAGEMENT LEVEL OF COUNTY FUNDED GRASS-ROOT COMMUNITY WATER PROJECTS IN MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA
Timothy Elizabeth Kathini - Master’s in Development Studies, St. Pauls University, Kenya
Dr. Peter Koome (PhD) - St. Pauls University, Kenya
Dr. Florence Nyamweru Gitahi (PhD) - St. Pauls University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Literature has it that for any national or local project to succeed, community members must be included not only in all levels of development but also the management level where key voices are aired, major decisions made and resources distributed. In response to gender inequalities, many third world countries amended their constitutions and policies to address these issues. While much progress has been realized, research shows that in community development projects, women are not fully involved in senior management positions. The goal of this study was to investigate constraints influencing women's involvement in the management levels of county-funded grass-root community water projects in Makueni County. A case study was done in Makueni County on on-going projects in eight county wards. This study was guided by the following objective: to investigate the influence of cultural constraints in women involvement in the senior management levels of county-funded grass-root community water projects in Makueni County. The study was conducted through a descriptive survey study. The target population comprised of 441 management board members who were assigned to manage individual county-funded grass-root community water projects in the county. A sample size of 132individuals within eight wards was brought about by the use of systematic sampling. This study used structured questionnaire tool for data collection. Descriptive data analysis was employed where frequency distribution tables and percentages were used as data analysis tools. The descriptive statistics used included means, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages. The data collected was summarised and categorized in frequency distribution tables. In addition, the analysis was done using MS Excel spread sheets for initial tabulation analysis and drawing of charts based on the responses. The data was analysed and organized into themes relevant to the study and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and Microsoft excel (SPSS). The study established that cultural constraints such as mobility restrictions, gender stereotypes, and sex discrimination had a great influence on the women's involvement in the management of county-funded community water projects. The study recommended that the government should provide education and awareness, training, and capacity building to grass-root communities in water management. The study suggested that the local community should be empowered through education so that it can fully participate in the management of water projects.
