Project Management and Performance of Residential Construction Projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Project management help ensure the efficient and effective performance of projects. Consequently, in the last five years, Nairobi City County has witnessed numerous residential buildings collapsing due to poor project performance. Besides, limited studies have studied the project management practices that residential construction project managers should adopt to boost project performance as far as Nairobi city county is concerned. Therefore, the proposed study aims to investigate how project management practices affect the performance of construction projects in study area, especially in residential spaces. In realizing this aim, the study focused on realizing the objective of project stakeholder management on the performance of construction projects. The stakeholder theory informed the study’s variable. The variables examined were project stakeholder management (independent variable) and project performance (dependent variable). The descriptive research design guided the data collection and analysis processes. Data was collected from the targeted 50 residential construction projects completed within the last five years across Nairobi City County. The respondents comprised the targeted projects’ contractors, project managers and NCA employees. Semi-structured questionnaires were the primary data collection instruments, where the researcher administered questionnaires to the selected respondents to ensure the gathering of qualitative and quantitative data. 282 respondents participated in the study, who completed and returned the instruments after administration. A pilot test and the Cronbach alpha values for all the study variables met the recommended 0.70 threshold, guaranteeing reliability. The proposed study aimed to ensure that the questionnaires maintained great extents of sampling, construct, and face validity. The obtained data was analyzed using thematic analysis for the qualitative data and descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Findings indicated that stakeholder management positively affect project performance, with project resources scheduling having the greatest influence. The study emphasized the importance of effective resource allocation, timely regulatory compliance, and strong stakeholder engagement in achieving project success. Recommendations included adopting digital tools for resource management, appointing a regulatory liaison, implementing continuous quality improvement frameworks, and using digital platforms for stakeholder engagement. Future research could explore the influence of leadership styles and external economic factors on project performance.