Abstract:
For many years, stakeholders in the Global South have faced persistent difficulties in ensuring the sustainability of donor-financed projects, particularly once external funding comes to an end. The collapse of such initiatives often leaves intended beneficiaries at risk and increasingly vulnerable. This concern underscores the importance of addressing sustainability in donor-funded interventions. The present study investigated the factors influencing the continuity of donor-supported health infrastructure projects in Nyamira County. The determinants under review were financial management, technology utilization, and stakeholder involvement. The study was guided by Dependency Theory and Stewardship Theory and pursued three specific objectives: to examine the effect of financial management, assess the role of technology adoption, and determine the influence of stakeholder participation on the sustainability of donor-supported projects in the county. The population comprised 378 individuals, including County Executive officials, members of Project Implementation Boards, and Program Officers spread across the five sub-counties. From this group, a sample of 277 was determined using Yamane’s (1967) formula. Stratified random sampling was employed to create distinct strata, and simple random sampling was applied within each stratum to identify respondents. Data were collected through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire, which was self-administered. A pilot study was carried out in Kisii County using 10% of the sample size to test the instruments. The reliability of the questionnaire was verified using Cronbach’s alpha, which yielded coefficients above the recommended threshold of 0.70. Content validity was confirmed by consulting experts and academic supervisors. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive measures included mean and standard deviation, while linear regression was applied to test the hypotheses. Additionally, chi-square analysis was performed to examine the relationship between demographic factors and the sustainability of donor-financed projects. The results indicated that sound financial management, integration of technological tools, and meaningful stakeholder engagement significantly improved the sustainability of donor-funded initiatives. Financial management and technology adoption each explained about one-third of sustainability outcomes, whereas stakeholder involvement accounted for roughly two-fifths. Based on these findings, the study concluded that enhancing financial policies, strengthening the use of technology for communication and training, and encouraging broad-based stakeholder participation are critical to long-term success. It recommended the establishment of clear policy frameworks, ongoing capacity development, and continuous monitoring to strengthen transparency, accountability, and the overall impact of donor-supported projects.
