Project Communication Monitoring and Performance of Road Infrastructure Projects Developed by KeRRA in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

The Government of Kenya has invested heavily in road infrastructure to support economic growth and regional development. However, despite increased funding, many road projects continue to experience delays, cost overruns, and quality-related challenges. Previous studies have attributed poor performance of road infrastructure projects to factors such as inadequate funding, weak contractor capacity, poor planning, slow decision-making, and ineffective monitoring and evaluation. Although these factors explain part of the problem, they do not provide a comprehensive understanding of all the determinants of project performance. In particular, limited attention has been paid to the role of communication management, yet effective communication is essential for coordinating stakeholders involved in infrastructure projects. This study, therefore, examined the influence of communication management on the performance of road infrastructure projects developed by Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) in Kiambu County, with a specific focus on project communication monitoring. The study was guided by the PMBOK communication management framework and adopted a positivist philosophy together with descriptive and explanatory research designs. The target population consisted of ten completed road infrastructure projects, involving 80 respondents drawn from KeRRA Head Office, Kiambu Region office, and contractors. A census approach was used.  Structured questionnaires were used to gather primary data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS version 20. A regression model was applied to test the relationship between communication monitoring and road infrastructure performance. The findings revealed that communication monitoring had a positive and statistically significant effect on the performance of road infrastructure projects (R² = 0.590, β =.896, p < 0.05). The study concluded that communication monitoring is the most influential predictor of road infrastructure project performance, serving as a dynamic control system that provides essential feedback loops to ensure projects stay aligned with their objectives. It is recommended that KeRRA should prioritize implementing robust communication monitoring systems across all road projects, utilizing digital tools and clear indicators to track information flow. This must be paired with comprehensive team training and strengthened feedback loops to ensure that insights directly inform timely corrective actions.