DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABILITY OF DONOR FUNDED FOOD SECURITY PROJECTS IN KENYA: A CASE OF SAMBURU COUNTY

The aim of the study was to establish the drivers of sustainability of donor funded food projects after donors' exit in Kenya. Census survey was used to select a total of 103 projects and respondents from the various projects identified in the study area. The study adopted a descriptive research approach to collect primary data. A pilot study was conducted to pretest the validity and reliability of instruments for data collection. The study involved the use of questionnaire method to collect data. With the help of the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) programme version 22 regression analysis was done and the results were tested. The study found out that Stakeholder participation was the first most influencing important factor that affects sustainability of donor funded food security projects. The regression coefficients of the study showed that stakeholder participation had a significant influence on sustainability of donor funded food security projects. This implied that increasing levels of stakeholder participation by a unit would increase the levels of sustainability of donor funded food security projects. Thus this showed that stakeholder participation had a positive influence on sustainability of donor funded food security projects. Monitoring and evaluation was the second most influencing factor that affect sustainability of donor funded food security projects on sustainability of donor funded food security projects. This implied that increasing levels of monitoring and evaluation by a unit would increase the levels of sustainability of donor funded food security projects. This showed that monitoring and evaluation had a positive influence on sustainability of donor funded food security projects. The study recommends for effective stakeholder participation in the projects community involvement enhance engagement initiatives of the projects. This can be achieved through taking an active role in identifying their needs and prioritizing those needs, mobilizing internal and external resources and implementing internal and external resources and implementing activities towards achieving their objectives, self-reliance is stimulated thus reducing dependency on the outside agencies and improve efficiency and local participation yields better projects. Key Words: Stakeholder Participation, Management Practices