Stakeholder Participation in Project Implementation and Project Sustainability of the World Food Programme projects in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya

While people gain significantly from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), most of their projects hardly continue after donors withdraw their support. Approximately only 10% of the projects achieve the desired outcomes. Specifically, in Dadaab Refugee Camp, various studies found that, the sustainability of the World Food Programme projects has not matched the expectations, which has affected program effectiveness and stakeholders’ satisfaction. The study's overarching goal was to determine the impact that stakeholder involvement in project implementation on the long-term viability of World Food Programme initiatives in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa County. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population comprised of individuals involved either directly or indirectly with overseeing the implementation of World Food Programme projects at Dadaab refugee camp. A sample size of 133 respondents was arrived at using Slovin’s formula and selected using random sampling. Questionnaires were used for data collection. Out of the 133 sent questionnaires, only 87 questionnaires were filled and used for the analysis of the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of SPSS version 20 was used in the analysis of the data. Tables were used in presentation of the findings. The correlation analysis revealed that Project implementation had Pearson Correlation of 0.437. This implied a weak positive correlation between project implementation and project sustainability. The study concludes that, availability as well as full participation of stakeholders during project implementation was important as a management opportunity for improving project sustainability. Stakeholder participation is further concluded to promoting better outcomes in projects and ensuring that they are sustainable. The study recommends a holistic approach and embracing of all the stakeholders during project implementation. The study also recommends that, the government through their legislative system should put in place appropriate policies that favour the implementation of NGO projects in not only at Dadaab but also other regions in Kenya. Key words: Stakeholder Participation, Project Implementation, Project Sustainability, World Food Programme projects