Risk Management Strategies and Performance of Bio digester Projects in Kisumu County, Kenya

Résumé fourni par la source

Bio digester technology has been promoted across Kenya as a route to clean cooking energy, organic waste management and rural development, yet a large share of installed systems fall into disuse within a few years of commissioning, with failure rates of between 10% and 40% reported in Kenya and comparable developing economies. The persistence of these failures despite sustained investment by county governments, development partners and the private sector suggests that the risks attaching to the design, construction, operation and maintenance of these systems are poorly managed. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of risk management strategies on the performance of bio digester projects in Kisumu County, Kenya. A mixed-methods design combining descriptive and correlational approaches was adopted. The target population comprised 150 stakeholders drawn from 60 bio digester projects in Kisumu County, including project managers, biogas engineers and technicians, national and county government officials, procurement and finance officers, service providers, PMC and CIT members, administrators, community beneficiaries, appliance dealers, development partners and local NGOs. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires with five-point Likert scale items, supported by key informant interviews, and the instrument was piloted on 11 respondents in Nakuru County, returning an overall Cronbach's Alpha of 0.812 with all constructs above the 0.70 threshold. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS. The study achieved a response rate of 76.4%. The descriptive findings showed that risk analysis was embraced to the greatest extent (composite mean of 3.85), followed by risk response (3.84), risk identification (3.67) and risk monitoring and review (3.66), while project performance returned a composite mean of 3.52. Correlation analysis returned positive and significant relationships between performance and risk response (r = 0.544, p < 0.01), risk analysis (r = 0.511, p < 0.01), risk monitoring and review (r = 0.352, p < 0.01) and risk identification (r = 0.277, p < 0.05). The regression results showed that the four risk management strategies jointly explained 48.86% of the variation in project performance (R² = 0.4886; F = 18.041, p < 0.001), with risk analysis emerging as the strongest predictor (β = 0.386, p = 0.001), followed by risk response (β = 0.281, p = 0.002), risk identification (β = 0.221, p = 0.029) and risk monitoring and review (β = 0.157, p = 0.037). The study concluded that risk management strategies have a positive and statistically significant influence on the performance of biodigester projects in Kisumu County. The study recommends that project managers and implementers institutionalize structured risk mapping, categorization and documentation, comprehensive risk analysis systems, effective mitigation, transfer and acceptance frameworks, and regular risk assessment, updates and feedback mechanisms across the project lifecycle, while county governments and development partners provide the training and standardized tools needed to sustain these practices.