An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Participatory Communication Strategies Used in Implementation of Public Water Projects in Rural Areas: Muranga County, Kenya

Study Background

Murang’a County is one of the counties created under the Kenya Constitution 2010. It is one of the five counties in Central region of the Republic of Kenya and occupies a total area of 2,558.8Km². It is bordered to the north by Nyeri, to the south by Kiambu, to the west by Nyandarua and to the east by Kirinyaga, Embu and Machakos counties. It lies between latitudes 0^o 34’ South and 1^o 7’ South and longitudes 36 ^o East and 37^o 27’ East. The county lies betwee 914 m above sea level (ASL) in the east and 3,353m above sea level (ASL) along the slopes of the Aberdare Mountains in the west.

Participatory communication is an approach based on dialogue and allows sharing of information, perceptions and opinions among the various stakeholders and thereby facilitates their empowerment, especially for those who are most vulnerable and marginalised (Tufte & Mefalopulos, 2009).

Participatory communication approach has played a big role to a significant number of communicators ranging from NGOs and programmes of government agencies. Chambers (2013) saw participatory development as a way of overcoming the shortcomings of top down development and the limitations of expert research and planning. Participatory methods are tools to involve partners with each other, meaning they are themselves communication tools. Proper participation creates understanding, connectivity and commitment between the stakeholders and project implementers. The strength of participatory communication methods lies in their inherent respect for lived experience and local knowledge. The central role of community members ensures that messages and materials reflect the social and cultural dynamics of their daily lives. The resulting locally-specific messages resonate with community members in ways that cannot be produced by non-participatory methods.

Participatory approaches are highly valuable in development communication. Development communication activities seek to encourage certain changes in attitude or behaviour at the individual, family, and/or community level.