Reassessing capacity building reform in performance of world bank financed agricultural projects in trans-nzoia county, kenya

The purpose of this study was to re-assess the import of capacity building reformin the performance of agricultural projects funded by the World Bank in TransNzoiaCounty. The researcher adopted descriptive survey design using theprinciples of mixed-mode research. Target population of the study was 800farmers and 15 officials; the sample size was 268 respondents determined usingsimplified Yamane formula. Quantitative data was collected using a structuredquestionnaire with 12 Likert-type statements while qualitative data wascollected using key informant interviews and focus groups. The study isgrounded on pragmatism philosophy that complements epistemological,methodological and axiological underpinnings desired in mixed methodsresearch. Qualitative data was analyzed descriptively using central tendencywhile inferential data was analyzed by regression and correlation with the aid ofthe Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS), version 20.0. From theresearch findings, using t-statistic it was established there existed a significantrelationship between capacity building reform and performance of agriculturalprojects by r =0.199, (p-value< 0.05), R2 = 0.139, meaning capacity building wasresponsible for 13.9% variation in performance of agricultural projects. Theseresults have unique contribution to the theory of project management, supportstransformative learning theory in capacity enhancement and providesdocumented analysis on the utilization of capacity building models in projects.In terms of policy, considering that the government of Kenya is working todevelop systems and structures to ensure projects operate within the value formoney confines, this study provides empirical evidence to support policyformulation on capacity building. The findings will contribute immensely to thegrowth of project management discipline by providing empirical data critical inbridging the gap between the desired and the actual capacity needs. The studytherefore provides documentary evidence to support the re-engineering ofcapacity building approaches in modern projects and programs.