The Joint Effect of Capacity in Monitoring and Evaluation and Stakeholder Engagement on Execution of Street Lighting Projects in Turkana County, Kenya

Abstract:

Project implementation is a critical phase of the project lifecycle that directly determines project success. Sustainable organizational performance relies on structured project management procedures rather than arbitrary methods, which frequently lead to unpredictable outcomes. This study assessed the joint effect of capacity in M&E and stakeholder engagement on implementation of street lighting projects in Turkana County, Kenya. Anchored in stakeholder theory, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The target population consisted of 34 Chief Officers/M&E Experts, 6 Sub-county Quantity Surveyors, 6 Sub-county Electrical Engineers, 6 M&E Focal Persons, 6 Project Implementation Committee Chairpersons, 6 Sub-county Financial Directors, and 6 Sub-county Procurement Officers. Simple random sampling was used to select 27 Chief Officers/M&E Experts, while a census approach was adopted for all other categories. Data were collected using questionnaires and document analysis checklists. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, means, and standard deviations, while hypotheses were tested via simple linear regression using SPSS Version 25 and the Hayes PROCESS Macro v4.1. The findings demonstrated a significant relationship between stakeholder management and the implementation of street lighting projects (p < 0.05). Actively involving stakeholders in decision-making processes improved the quality of project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reports, ultimately enhancing project execution. Furthermore, the interaction term (X × W) explained an additional 14.5% of the variance in project implementation (ΔR^2 = 0.145), and the overall model was statistically significant (p < 0.05). This indicates that the independent and moderator variables jointly predict the dependent variable. Notably, the results confirm that the moderator variable (stakeholder engagement) significantly alters the relationship between M&E capacity and the implementation of street lighting projects.