The Contribution of Community Based Organizations towards Strategic Transformation Of Communities: A Case Of Marurui United Youth Group

A Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)The general objective of this research was to investigate the contribution of community based organizations towards strategic transformation of communities with a focus on Marurui United Youth Group (MUYOG) in Marurui sub-location, Kasarani location, Nairobi county. The specific objectives of the study were: to investigate the strategic needs of the Marurui Community, to investigate the role of MUYOG in Marurui community strategic transformation and to establish the extent to which MUYOG has been effective towards the strategic transformation of Marurui Community. In order to achieve the above, the study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population in this study included three main categories, the first being 59 staff members at MUYOG. The second category was a group of beneficiaries in Marurui which included small businesses, youths and other citizens who benefit from the activities of the CBO. They were a total of 105 beneficiaries in the community. The third category was community leaders’ i.e the chief, member of county assembly and religious leaders. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 30% (50 respondents) from which the study sought information. The study used a survey questionnaire administered using a drop and pick later method. The data collected was analyzed by descriptive statistics using SPSS and presented in percentages, means, standard deviations and frequencies. The information is displayed using tables and figures. The study found that MUYOG facilitated strategic transformation of the community in the area. It was also clear that community based organizations contribute to strategic transformations in the community to a great extent as discussed in chapter five. MUYOG undertakes strategic transformations in social welfare to a great extent and has well placed organizational processes and developmental resources. These transformations enhance economic, environmental and infrastructural transformations. The study further found that MUYOG CBO has adopted various strategies in enhancing its contribution to strategic transformation of the community in Marurui to a moderate extent during its operations. MUYOG collects and analyses the information gaps to enhance transformation of the community in Marurui by reviewing activities and implementation strategies borrowed from other CBOs, it consults with the community groups and representatives and carry out ongoing information needs assessment research. The study concludes that community based organizations contribute to strategic transformations in the community by encouraging participatory sustainability and undertaking transformations in social welfare, organizational processes and developmental resources. The CBOs’ ability to coordinate comprehensive activities synergistically helps them to have an eagles’ view of the community, creating strata’s for effective mobilization of resources and operation achievement. The study recommends that there is need to establish an enabling environment through relevant institutional and policy reform, building participatory mechanisms for community control and stakeholder involvement, ensuring social and gender inclusion, relevant stakeholders should invest in capacity building of CBOs and facilitate community access to information. There is need for empowerment of communities through capacity building as a way of enhancing their participation in CBOs. The study recommends that the CBOs alongside other stakeholders should develop simple rules and strong incentives supported by monitoring and evaluation. Community based organizations should also maintain flexibility in design of arrangements and leverage private and community financing as a financing strategy to enhance the their sustainability and hence contribution to strategic transformation of the communities