Project communication and the implementation of public housing construction in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The implementation of housing projects should aim to get construction work completed within stipulated time and within the costs estimated. The frequencies of stalled construction projects, the government dismantling some illegally constructed buildings, collapsing buildings and the disturbing death toll that accompanies these events, have become significant issues in Kenya. The study sought to examine the effects of project communication on implementation of public housing construction projects in Nairobi County, Kenya. Nairobi County was chosen for the study since it is the capital city of Kenya with many housing construction projects ongoing. The objectives of this study were to assess how communication channels affects implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County; to determine the effect of project team communication skills on the implementation process of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County and to examine the effect of communication structures on the implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County. This study was anchored on Project management theory by Koskela and Howell (2002b), Implementation theory by Maskin and Sj'strom (2002) and Groupthink theories by Irving Janis (1972. To attain the research objectives, the study used the cross-sectional research design, in which it selected a sample of 252 respondents from a target population of 681 employees at the Nairobi County Government, Building Inspection Unit, licensed architectural and quantity surveyor firms and building contractors operating in Nairobi. The study used descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis to analyze the data collected from the respondent using structured questionnaire. Multiple linear regression model was used to answer the research hypothesis. Based on the results obtained in the study, it was found out that communication channels (β1= 0.003146, p=0.009); Communication skills (β2=0.227, p=0.006) and Communication structures (β3=0.687, p<0.001) had significant positive effect on implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County. In conclusion, given that Channels of communication are key to the execution of construction projects, secondly having a team with better communication skills can provide quick decision making during critical stages of construction and lastly Communication structure forms a crucial aspect of the process of project execution. It was evident that project communication had a significant positive impact on implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County. The study therefore, recommends that construction firms embrace project communication in order to enhance successful implementation of housing construction projects