Assessment of multi-stakeholder criteria approach to infrastructure development: a case study of KCCA

Abstract

Decision making in infrastructure development requires careful consideration and a balance of several criteria. For most projects, a complex decision making process is almost inevitable owing to the ever increasing challenges to achieve sustainable urban development as the populations of our cities grow and their boundaries expand. A large number of significant non-homogenous capital investment projects are proposed every year to Kampala Capital City Authority by a range of different stakeholders. However, limited resources mean that the selection of all the proposed projects is quite obviously impossible. These investments can have significant economic, environmental and social impacts due to the sheer volume of people who are directly and indirectly affected. So the decision-makers need to consider how to maximize their return on the investment of public funds. As the gap between the available funds and investment needs widens, identifying the most sustainable projects becomes a critical activity. This study assessed the use of multi-stakeholder criteria approach to infrastructure development using Kampala Capital City Authority as the case study. The study was guided by objectives which included assessment of the initial approach to decision making, the current institutional status and making suggestions for improved multi-stakeholder involvement in the decision making approach for infrastructure development at KCCA. The researcher used a case study approach and a sample of 44 respondents out of a target population of 54 respondents from the various directorates at KCCA. The study considered both quantitative and qualitative approaches, questionnaires and interview guides as data collection instruments. The data collected was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, Version 25) and the results were presented using tabular frequency tables. The study findings were used as a basis to make suggestions for improving multi-stakeholder involvement in decision making for infrastructure development at KCCA. In summary, 55%, of the respondents agreed that there was stakeholder involvement in decision making for infrastructure development at KCCA. This implied that stakeholders were indeed involved in the decision making process although there was need for improvement as particular interest groups like the disabled persons who felt that their concerns were not adequately being addressed. The study finding on the challenges to stakeholder involvement revealed that many of the respondents felt that the was a lack of a bottom to top stakeholder consultation in the decision making process, that environmental issues were not being adhered to in decision making, that there was a lack of gender mainstreaming in decision making, 87.5% stated that there was a challenge of conflicting political roles, 90% of the respondents agreed that there was a challenge land tenure systems in making infrastructure development decisions, some felt that infrastructure development projects were overpriced, others stated that there was a lack of consideration for people with disabilities, a few felt that there was a lack of an infrastructure development master plan, 77.5% mentioned that the challenge was in adhering to the development master plan, some few felt that KCCA lacked qualified staff, others felt that the quality of contracted infrastructure works was poor and some felt that there was a delayed allocation of funds for infrastructure development works. From the study finding, the above were captured as the challenges to infrastructure development that needed improvement through improved stakeholder involvement.