Thesis:

Stakeholders' management and performance of right coffee Project in Embu county, Kenya

This study aimed at investigating the stakeholder management and its effect on the performance of the Right Coffee Project in Embu County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to achieve four objectives: (i) to determine the effect of stakeholders’ identification and performance of the Coffee Project (ii) to identify the effect of the communication (iii) to investigate the influence of stakeholder participation and (iv) to establish effect of the monitoring on project success. The research adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design to collect quantitative data. The target population consisted of 268 members, including project implementers such as (CELIM and IPSIA NGOs, DeKUT-public University, KCP and Caritas Nairobi -Trust and AWiCI- Association). The study also involved immediate project beneficiaries, such as the cooperative board of management, staffs and members (Lead farmers and beekeepers) who directly interacted with the project. The Embu County Department of Agriculture, as a local project partner, was also included in the study. The sample size of 161 respondents was determined using Yamane’s formula, ensuring that the findings accurately represent the study population. A random sampling technique was employed to minimize bias and enhance the generalizability of the results. Primary data were collected using questionnaires, which are suitable for gathering information from a large sample. The questionnaire included both open ended and close-ended questions to ensure consistency and facilitate data analysis. The collected data were organized, and frequencies of the research variables were presented using histogram, pie charts and tables. All field data were reviewed and coded before being analyzed using SPSS software version 25. The effect of stakeholder management on the project performance was derived from the analysis and interpretation of the data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the analysis. Based on the study’s findings, the performance of the Right Coffee project was positively and significantly influenced by stakeholders’ identification, communication, participation and monitoring. The study concluded that the project would perform better if all the independent variables were enhanced. Improving stakeholders’ identification, communication, participation, and monitoring was found to enhance the performance of coffee project. This results contributed positively to the coffee industry by providing a framework for better stakeholders’ management in the coffee production. This, in turn, could lead to more efficient operations and stronger stakeholders’ involvement, ultimately resulting into improved coffee productivity and sustainability. A thriving coffee industry has a potential to create jobs, increase income and enhance the overall economic landscape, as envision in Kenya Vision 2030. Moreover, improving stakeholders’ management practices could lead to a better working condition, fairer trade practices and increased economic opportunities within the coffee sector in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8. Given that East Africa is a major coffee-growing region, this results could be disseminated across the region to enhance knowledge exchange and cooperation among member state in coffee sector. This research has a potential to offer valuable insights and strategies that could lead to sustainable improvement in the coffee industry, contributing to broader economic and social development goals.