Community Mobilization Strategies and Implementation of Health Projects in Ikolomani Sub- County, Kakamega County, Kenya

Public participation is a fundamental aspect of good governance and sustainable development. Organizations like the United Nations highlight the need for citizen involvement in decision-making to enhance transparency and accountability. Kenya's devolved health system emphasizes community participation in county health planning, but evidence linking participation strategies to improved project implementation at the sub-county level is limited. This paper assessed the influence of community mobilization strategies on the implementation of health projects in Ikolomani Sub-County, Kakemenga, Kenya. Using a descriptive design, a structured questionnaire was administered to 205 respondents (180 returned; 88% response rate) from a target population of 440. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Community mobilization strategies had the highest mean (M = 3.60). The study found that strategies focused on outward information flow to communities performed better, and community members in decision-making also scored low (M = 2.96). The paper concludes that participation in Ikolomani is primarily informational rather than deliberative, highlighting the need to close the feedback loop for better outcomes. Keywords: Community Mobilization; Public Participation; Health Project Implementation; Devolution