International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS ON PROJECT PERFORMANCE OF KENYA POWER AND LIGHTING COMPANY LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY PROJECT IN EMBU COUNTY, KENYA Fred Orre1, Ali .C. Ramadhani2, Dr. Muchelule Yusuf3 College of Human Resource Development JomoKenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya Abstract: Stakeholders strongly influence the outcome of projects especially in complex projects with heterogeneous stakeholders, thus understanding their influence is essential to ensure project success and attainment of objectives. Kenya power and lighting company projects involve a lot of stakeholders whose interests need to be met to ensure the company is successful with its projects and to enable it provide reliable services to its customers. This study sought to understand how various stakeholders in the industry affect the performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County. The study examined the role of: project risk management; project leadership; project planning; and project monitoring and control and how they affect the performance of projects. Ex-facto design was adopted to conduct the study in Embu County, Kenya. The study population comprise of 43 projects where 109 people inclusive of: project engineers, project managers, Connectivity officers and, clerks Technicians officers, county project representative officers, Local chiefs and local leaders, project contractors, KPLC top management in Embu region form the population. A sample size of 86 people was used. Questionnaire was the main tool for data collection where drop and pick method was adopted by the researcher to ensure that all the respondents were administered with the questionnaires. Both descriptive and inferential analysis were used for the study. Data collected was coded sorted and keyed in SPSS version 22 for analysis. The results were then be presented using tables with interpretations. The main contribution of the study was to reveal the role of stakeholders’ management on project performance in terms of; project leadership, planning, risk management, and monitoring and control. The study found that project leadership, planning, risk management, and monitoring and control had a strong positive significant correlation with performance of project. All the variables; project leadership, planning, risk management, and monitoring and control significantly influenced performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County. The predictor variables explained 64.5% change in performance of projects. The study recommended involvement, engagement, and effective communication to stakeholders as well good project leadership that will ensure the interests and expectations of stakeholders are met. Stakeholders’ management influences the performance and success of projects to a great extent. Keywords: Stakeholders’ Management, Project performance, Last Mile Connectivity, Project Leadership, project planning. I. INTRODUCTION According to [1] the traditional definition of a stakeholder is any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives. Their interests is an issue that can be monetary, professional, personal, or cultural, or can arise from a host of other motivations. They play a key role in project and programme activities and serve as key links with the general beneficiary population and also with donors and project facilitators. According to [2] a stakeholder is any one or interested parties that have a stake in the project or its outcome. Stakeholders can be divided into Page | 1186 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com primary and secondary, which further subdivided into social and non-social stakeholders. The shareholders and investors (owners), employees and managers, customers, local communities, suppliers and other business partners are primary social stakeholders. Stakeholders' management is paramount in the success of projects and organization. Even though, minor decisions and emergency situations are generally not appropriate for stakeholder participation, a complex situation with far reaching impacts warrant stakeholder involvement and when done proactively, rather than in response to a problem, helps to avoid problems in the future [3]. The [4] identifies eight components that are the building blocks of stakeholders’ engagement which include: stakeholder identification and analysis; information disclosure; stakeholder consultation; negotiation and partnerships; grievance management; stakeholder involvement in project monitoring; reporting to stakeholders; and management functions. According to [5], Project success has been measured in a variety of ways. While the measurement of project success has focused on tangibles, current thinking is that ultimately, project success is best judged by the stakeholders, especially the primary sponsor. [6] opine that, there are a lot of performance indicators that can be used to measure and evaluate performance of projects which are related to indicators such as time, cost, quality, client satisfaction, client changes, business performance, health and safety. The three most predominant performance evaluation indicators include cost, quality and time. However, [7] argued that an interesting way of evaluating the performance of project is looking at the people involved with the projects or related to the ownership of the project (macro view point) and those group of people such as developers and contractors who view performance in micro view point. The project success is a matter of perception and that a project will be most likely to be perceived to be a success if: the project meets the technical performance specifications and/or mission to be performed, and if there is a high level of satisfaction concerning the project outcome among key people on the project team, and key users or clientele of the project effort [8]. II. KENYA POWER AND LIGHTING COMPANY LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY A. Kenya Power & Lighting Company The Kenya Power and Lighting Co. Ltd (KPLC) is the Utility mandated by the Government of Kenya to manage transmission, distribution and supply of electric power to consumers and currently controls the national power transmission network comprised of 1323 km of 220 kV, 2085km of 132 kV and 632km of 66kV transmission lines. Due to devolvement and changing customer needs, it has been necessary for Kenya Power to continuously adapt new ways of handling its customers. It has started this by initiating and implementing Rebranding and Culture change program. A number of strategies and restructuring steps have been undertaken by the organization in meeting the changing business environment. These strategic changes include debt restructuring entailing conversion of Kshs.15.9 billion accumulated debt to preference shares. Increasing competition in generation by opening new projects to IPPs, thus overcoming capacity shortfalls by private sector investments, outsourcing of construction for new customer connections, implementation of system reinforcement substation projects aimed at achieving substantial technical loss reduction benefits. However, Kenya Power is facing several challenges and how to complete some of its projects their effects, including inadequate resources and rapid technological challenges. In electrical power installation projects, different activities are involved and hence the need for proper management to ensure that materials and works are procured and supplied within schedule [9]. In Embu County, the Kenya Power and lightening Company Ltd (KPLC) constructed a 21kms 132 kV electrical transmission line from Kyeni to Embu. This transmission line is a T-off of the Ishiara 132kV transmission line. The components of the proposed project include: a 21km 132Kv electrical transmission line from Kegonge in Kyeni Division to Gatondo in North Location of Embu West District. A 132/33kV electrical sub-station at Kegonge in Kyeni Division of Embu East District. A 132Kv electrical sub-station at Gatondo in Embu West District. The electrical transmission line and electrical sub-station will be constructed, owned, operated and maintained by the Kenya power and lightening company B. Last Mile Connectivity The Last Mile Connectivity Project is a project that aims at extending low voltage system throughout the country so as to reach counties with low penetration rates. It is believed that this project will accelerate economic growth at the microeconomic level in line with the Government’s vision 2030. KPLC is undertaking the last mile project whose main objective is extending power supply connectivity to over 1.2 million customers country wide and within the vicinity of 45,000 distribution of transformer. The last mile project is financed by African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Kenya to the tune of Ksh 13.5 billion. The project entails supply of distribution material to reach 300,000 new connections; construction of low voltage (LV) distribution lines; supervision and management; and capacity building Page | 1187 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com activities in targeted areas of expertise. The population located in rural areas, low income groups as well as small businesses will particularly benefit from this project. Indeed, by providing increased electricity access, the project will contribute to improvement in standards of living of the targeted households in terms of education, health and access to information. As for small businesses, the project will help increase their competitiveness and expansion of activities [10]. III. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The [11], in the Philippines, the performance of electricity connectivity projects several factors were used to rank performance of the project which include: the project development objectives, the overall completion outcomes, and the overall implementation progress. The project development objective and the overall implementation progress were rated moderately unsatisfactory, while the overall completion outcomes were rated moderately satisfactory. KPLC is undertaking the last mile project whose main objective is extending power supply connectivity to over 1.2 million customers country wide and within the vicinity of 45,000 distribution of transformer. In Kenya projects funded by World bank and ADB have enjoyed diverse performance rating in their periodic performance reviews. For example, Kenya Electricity Modernization project funded by the World Bank ($ 562 million) in 2015 and schedule to be completed by June 2020, aims at increasing access o electricity as well as improve on the reliability of services. The world bank in 2018 rated the project to be satisfactory towards project development objectives and the progress towards completion of the project [11]. The last mile project in Kenya has been faced with diverse performance challenges. KPLC reports that in 2017 there was a challenge with customers not being able to load tokens in their meters where over 940,668 customers were affected. To add to that, the project has also been marred by procurement challenges which have affected the implementation a good example is tender awarded to Bajaj Electricals and Wayne Homes that for the building and installation of electricity to seven counties that was contested. There has also been growing concern over the economic viability of the project as the customers connected are on semi-permanent houses and some of the customers are connected without having fully settled the requisite fee of Ksh 15,000 which they pay in installments [11]. In Embu County, the Last Mile Connectivity was initiated in September 2015 to extend the low-voltage network to reach households, especially in rural areas in Embu. All households located within 600 meters of identified transformers in Embu county are connected with electricity, and the full implementation will facilitate Government objective of connecting 70% of Kenya households by 2017 and achieving universal access by 2020 [9]. According to KPLC Embu Status Project of 2019, a total of Ksh 126M has been budgeted for transformer budget utilization covering the financial years between 2016/2017 to 2018/2019 for the four sub counties of Embu County, so far 72% of the budget has been utilized. However, the projects have witnessed cost overrun and delay in implementation. A good example is Kaguma project (Rec-1406317/18016) budgeted for the financial year 2017/2018 shows the project is 50% done, Kavai project Rec-1406417/18010 shows the progress to be 40% done. With the Government working hard to achieve Vision 2030, not forgetting the Big four Agenda, citizens will still wait to see benefits of the last mile project, which means the laptop project, and the other Big Four Agendas which are dependent on electricity, as well as other objectives that are specifically complimentary to attain the Vision 2030 are affected. IV. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study was to establish the role of stakeholders’ management on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. Specifically, the study was guided by the following objectives; i. To determine the role of project risk management on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. ii. To assess the role of project planning on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. iii. To establish the role of project leadership on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. iv. To examine the role of project monitoring and control affects project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. Page | 1188 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com V. THEORETICAL REVIEW The study was guided by Complexity and Chaos Theories; Principal-Agent Theory, Culture Theory, and Stakeholders Theory. The Complexity theory states that critically interacting components self-organize to form potentially evolving structures exhibiting a hierarchy of emergent system properties. Complexity theory is concerned with the study of how order, structure, pattern, and novelty arise from extremely complicated, apparently chaotic systems and conversely, how complex behavior and structure emerges from simple underlying rules. Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including management. It studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. [12] argues that chaos arises when the present determines the future, but the approximate present doesn’t approximately determine the future. There is a close link between complexity theory and chaos theory however complexity theorists maintain that chaos by itself does not account for the coherence of selforganizing complex systems. The theory was useful in explaining the nature of interaction between the various stakeholders in projects to ensure success of projects. The theory was linked to risk management, planning, leadership and monitoring and control with focus on success of projects. The Principal Agent by Stephen Ross in 1972 explains how best organize the relationship of the owner of resources in a project (Principal) and the person appointed or contracted to work on behalf of the principal (Agent). The theory has three assumptions; the agent is always self-interested, risk averse, and possesses knowledge that most of the time isn’t available to the Principal. For the project to be successful, the assumption is that the stakeholders cooperate and exchange vital information to ensure the project goals are achieved. Thus, communication is key to any success of the project else it becomes a major risk [13]. The culture theory by Mary Douglas 1966 and Widavsky in 1982 has been important in the discussion on risk perception and risk interpretations. According to the theory perceived risk is closely tied to cultural adherence and social learning. People will focus on different kinds of risks depending on which group one belongs to and will choose what to fear and how much to fear it. Since projects are full of risks, it is possible to identify more threatening and less threatening risks. The theory was useful in explaining the risk related to stakeholders’ management in performance of projects. Finally, the Stakeholder’s theory by [14] provides a framework for understanding and categorizing project stakeholders as a strategy to easily manage them to provide the necessary influence in a given project. In project management stakeholders can be categorized based on their roles in a given project, their involvement and the nature of their relationship within the project, and finally based on the degree of risk they pose to the project [4]. The Stakeholder theory can be put into use to describe how different stakeholders in the energy industry can influence implementation of new practices and how it can influence and shape the organization’s behavior. VI. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The conceptual framework of the study is presented in Figure I below. Figure I: The Conceptual Framework Page | 1189 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com A. Project Planning Project planning is part of project management, which relates to the use of schedules such as Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment. Initially, the project scope is defined and the appropriate methods for completing the project are determined [15]. The stakeholder's project team role, the project planning activities in which he participates and his level of involvement in or responsibility for a particular activity, depends on the project's mission and his reporting relationship to the project management office, or PMO, which, in particular, leads to his classification as an internal or external stakeholder. The objectives of engaging stakeholders in planning include analyzing, anticipating, scheduling, coordinating, controlling and Information management, which influence success of the project. According to [16] one critical factor in determining the extent of stakeholder involvement in project success is the presence of enabling resources and structures to support the change management process. If the stakeholders are availed with resources and structures to guide project success process, they are able to undertake critical roles and responsibilities necessary for the change management process and this ensures the change management process is more successful. [17] explained that for there to be a successful stakeholder involvement in the project success to a high extent, five factors need to be in place which includes: stakeholders’ early awareness of norms; awareness of diversity within and between different organizational units; manager availability; early role clarification; and constructive conflict. B. Project Leadership According to [16] leadership in projects is always complicated since it involves different experts from organizations with diverse philosophies and practices, limited time, individual characteristics, temporary management structures and conflict of interests that all have to be dealt with to ensure successful project execution. Project participants are drawn from different organization and also have different areas of specialization. To add on that, project team members normally undertake non-repetitive tasks to produce an expected output as they apply specific skills, knowledge and expertise. to achieve a high level of project performance, project team members must be integrated and focused on the objectives of the project which entails high team work level [7]. An effective project manager apart from being technically qualified, but require to possess essential soft skills such as leadership and people management which are considered to be critical in their roles [18]. Project management is critical to businesses nowadays and it becomes effective when there is an effective team management. Timely and control of flow of information that is well structured makes the project team and processes to be efficient and productive and thus affecting the project outcome positively. VII. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study adopted an Ex-post facto design. Ex-post facto design is a quasi-experimental study examining how an independent variable, present prior to the study in the participants, affects a dependent variable. According to [19] Ex-post design facilitates collection of data from a predetermined population at a time when the events under investigation have already occurred. The choice of the Ex post facto design was based on the fact that in this study research was interested in how factors that happened before the researcher went to collect data affected the current state of affairs. A. Target Population The target population for this study comprised of 43 projects where 109 people including KPLC staff, contractors, local chiefs and Embu County representatives as per KPLC report of 2018/2019 were ad mistered with questionnaires. B. Sample Size To obtain a sample for this study the researcher used [20] formula since the formula is simplified to calculate the sample sizes when the target population understudy was less than 10,000 as shown below. n = 86 C. Sampling Technique The study applied stratified, purposive and systematic random sampling techniques to obtain response from the targeted population. Stratified sampling was used as the target population is made up of different cohorts of top management, Page | 1190 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com project managers, and project employees who have similar characteristics. The stratified random sampling is the probability of selection in which units are randomly sampled from a population that has been divided into categories or strata [21]. Stratified sampling has three basic advantages: it increases sample’s statistical efficiency; provides adequate data for analyzing subpopulations; and enables different research methods and procedures to be used in different strata [22]. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the respondents from the cohorts of Top management and project managers so as to bring fairness and balance of the responses of the study as well these are the people who gave the important information based on their knowledge and experience [23]. Regression analysis was done by use of the following model. Where; Y = Project Performance; β1, β2, β3, β4 = beta coefficients; μ = error term X1 =Project Risk Management; X2 = Project Planning; X3 = Project Leadership; X4 = Project Monitoring and Control. VIII. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION a) Response Rate The questionnaires for the study distributed were 86 out of which 80 were returned. Thus, the response rate for the study was 93% which according to [24] a response rate of between 50% - 70% is sufficient to yield favorable and reliable results in a study. b) Descriptive Statistics of Study Variables i). Project Planning The specific objective of the study was to assess the effect of project planning on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. The study did not provide significant statistical evidence on involvement of Stakeholders in identification of the activities to complete deliverables as majority of the respondents were unsure of that (mean = 3.24). This could be attributed to the fact that; the last mile connectivity project is a government initiative and we can argue that its initiation and implementation comes from the political will. Majority of the respondents agreed that Stakeholders were involved in estimating the resources for the project activities. The study provided a significant statistical evidence (mean = 4.39) on involvement of stakeholders in resources estimation. The study suggested that Planning tools like PERT, CPM, GANTT CHARTS, WBS were used which a majority of the respondents agreeing on that (mean = 4.01). However, the study did not provide significant statistical evidence that stakeholders participate in development of the project management plan (mean = 3.05). Persson and Olander (2004) maintained that, successful management of stakeholders involves stakeholder’s support and participation to devise, plan and develop project. Stakeholder management focuses on harmonizing the participants contributions to enhance the outcome of the project. Respondents were also not convinced that Planning of new projects was a collective responsibility that involved all the stakeholders of the project (mean = 2.89). Finally, respondents were not sure whether the project charter was the main project reference document used. Thus, the study did not provide significant evidence whether the project charter was used or not as a main reference document (mean = 3.28). According to [26], the initiation stage entails a plan that covers the following: analysis of the requirements in terms of goals that are Smart; cost benefit analysis and budgeting; review of the current operations; Stakeholder analysis; and development of a Project charter that shows the estimated costs, schedule of the project, the task to be done, key deliverables, and the schedule for whole project. In general, the study did not provide significant statistical evidence to suggest how project planning as a role of stakeholders influenced the performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County as proved by mean of 3.48. ii). Project Leadership The other specific objective of the study was to establish the influence of project leadership on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County, Kenya. The study did not provide significant statistical evidence that Stakeholders were involved in all the projects processes of decision making in relation to appointing the project leader (2.89). Aaltonen [27] argued that, projects are always very sensitive to the actions and decisions taken by stakeholder. The respondents did not agree on whether the project manager has put in place a clear and effective Page | 1191 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com communication plan with the project stakeholders’ (mean = 3.03). However, the study proved that the project leader has developed a stakeholders’ register that shows all the project stakeholders (4.28). Respondents agreed that the project manager had the necessary knowledge and skills needed to attain the success of the project. The study provided significant statistical evidence to support that (mean = 4.03). [28] define the competency of a project manager as the knowledge the project manager has in relation to management of projects, performance, and the personal characteristics of the individual. The study did not provide evidence of a proper social interaction among stakeholders depending to their influence in the project (3.11). According to [29] in the high-pressure context of starting a project and running, stakeholders’ interaction doesn’t seem to be urgent thus it’s viewed as a low priority and a good use of time and resources. The study did not provide significant evidence to suggest that, relevant projects stakeholders’ are provided with projects updates information (mean = 2.75). The study did not provide significant evidence to suggest that the project manager applied different leadership styles in dealing with project stakeholders’ (mean = 3.30). Thus, we can infer from World Bank group in 2013 reported that, most projects in less developed countries are poorly implemented because stakeholders and the members do not appreciate the need for a qualified management team during implementation, since most of them take political dimensions and are led by political appointees. Generally, the study did not provide significant evidence to clearly prove the influence of project leadership on performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County (mean = 3.34). Project participants are drawn from different organization and also have different areas of specialization. iii). Project Performance The study sought to establish the role of stakeholders on performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County. The study did not provide significant statistical evidence (mean = 3.04) that the project satisfied the End user operational needs. A project is to be perceived a success if it meets the technical performance specifications, a high level of satisfaction concerning the project outcome among key people on the project team and key users or clientele of the project. The study proved that, the major stakeholders determine the standards of the project. Majority of the respondents supported the argument (mean = 4.19). Further, the study showed that project resources were well utilized. There was a significant statistical evidence (mean = 4.05) to support this. However, the study found some slight significant statistical evidence that, according to project records, the projects were executed according to budget. The mean (3.8) shows slightly agreement among the respondents. [30] argued that, project performance is important as it helps ensure that a given project is implemented within its desired budget, schedule, the accepted quality standards, functionality, as well as the fitness of purpose. The study further revealed that there was no statistical evidence to suggest that, concluded projects met required quality/standard. (mean = 3.32). The study also did not provide significant statistical evidence to support or deny whether end user satisfaction is the overall criteria for measuring the success of a project. Majority of the respondents were not sure of the same as shown by the statistic (mean = 2.75). Project performance and the outcome can be evaluated using a number of indicators such as cost quality, client satisfaction, and business satisfaction [6]. This finding is also contrary to [28] who view performance in two constructs of project efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, majority of the respondents did not believe that most projects were completed on time and successfully. This is proved by the statistic of mean (2.8). [8] argue that, project success is a matter of perception and that a project will be most likely to be perceived to be a success if: the project meets the technical performance specifications and/or mission to be performed, and if there is a high level of satisfaction concerning the project outcome among key people on the project team, and key users or clientele of the project effort. Generally, the study did not provide significant statistical evidence to explain the role of stakeholders on project performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County (mean = 3.42). The timeliness of a project and achieving the objective of the project is assumed to be an effective indicator in measuring project performance. According to [7] there are a lot of performance indicators that can be used to measure and evaluate performance of projects which could be related to indicators such as time, cost, quality, client satisfaction, client changes, business performance, health and safety. c) Correlation Analysis Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used to determine the relationship, the direction of the relationship as well as the magnitude. Table I below shows the results. Page | 1192 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com TABLE I: CORRELATION MATRIX Project Performance Pearson Correlation Project Performance 1 .759 Sig. (2-tailed) N Project Planning 80 ** Project Leadership .739** .000 .000 80 80 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). The study found that, Project Planning has a positive significant relationship with performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project, (P = 0.00< 0.05, r =0.759), the predictor variable also has a strong magnitude where the Pearson correlation factor (r) is 0.759 nears the threshold of +1. According to [28], project success is correlated to project planning specifically requirements definition planning and technical specifications development. They believe that though planning doesn’t guarantee the success of the project, a minimum level of planning is necessary with an emphasis on the planning tools and procedures. Project Leadership was found to have a positive significant relationship with performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project, (P = 0.00< 0.05, r =0.739), the predictor variable also has a strong magnitude where the Pearson correlation factor (r) is 0.739 nears the threshold of +1. The findings concur with previous findings of [31] who found that there was significant correlation between the project leadership and performance of projects. d) Analysis of Variance Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out to estimate the robustness of the mode and its fitness. Table II below shows the findings. TABLE II: ANOVA RESULTS Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. Regression 12.211 4 3.053 34.041 .000b 1 Residual 6.726 75 0.090 Total 18.936 79 a. Dependent Variable: Performance of KPLC Last Mile Connectivity Project b. Predictors: (Constant), Project Risk Management, Project Planning, Project Leadership, and Project Monitoring and Control From Table II above the P-value (0.000<0.05) this implies that there is goodness of fit in model. At least one of predictor variables in: Project Risk Management, Project Planning, Project Leadership, and Project Monitoring and Control is significant and fit to explain change of performance KPLC Last mile connectivity project in Embu County. e) Regression Analysis Multiple regression was carried out to determine relationship of the study model by predicting the Dependent variable in terms of the Independent variables. The following multiple regression model was used to come up with the results in Table III below. TABLE III: REGRESSION RESULTS Model (Constant) Project Planning Project Leadership Unstandardized Coefficients B Std. Error .724 .238 .281 .122 .210 .131 Standardized Coefficients Beta .313 .224 t Sig. 3.038 2.297 1.601 .003 .024 .014 From Table III above Project Planning p-value (0.024) and Project Leadership p-value (0.014) All the predictor variables had their p-values less than the threshold of 0.05, this implies that they are significant in the model. The beta coefficients of the variables were: project planning (β = 0.281) and project leadership (β = 0.210). Thus, the model was fitted as follows Page | 1193 Research Publish Journals International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp: (1186-1195), Month: October 2019 - March 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com f) Model Summary The model for the study was summarized as shown in Table IV below TABLE IV: MODEL SUMMARY Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std Error of Estimate 1 .803a .645 .626 .29946 The coefficient for determination (R2) is 0.645 or 64.5%. Thus, Role of stakeholders’ management can explain 64.5% change in performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County. IX. CONCLUSION The study attempted to establish the role of stakeholders’ management on performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County. From the study the following conclusion are drawn; In relation to project planning as a role stakeholders on performance of projects, it significantly affected performance of KPLC last mile project in Embu County. Stakeholders’ involvement planning activities which include identification of activities necessary to complete deliverables, participation in development of project management plan, planning of new projects, and estimating of project resources can influence the performance of projects to a great extent. Since stakeholders can affect the performance and outcome of the project, planning how to management them throughout the project life cycle is inevitable. The KPLC last mile connectivity project is a pledge from the government that it seeks to fulfil however, proper planning and abiding by the plans to ensure all stakeholders achieve a win-win situation is inevitable. Otherwise, it will be wastage of taxpayer money on projects that will not be sustainable. The principal agent theory will be in application. Plans are nothing, change is everything. However, change ought to bring satisfaction and achieve expectations of all those affected in the projects. As for project leadership as a role in stakeholders, though not clearly proven, project leadership significantly affects the performance of KPLC last mile connectivity project in Embu County. Leadership in projects is known to be a complex affair since the projects involve many stakeholders with varying risks, powers and expectations. Balancing the interests of this stakeholders’ so as to improve performance and achieve success, needs a competent project manager who is not only technical but has interpersonal skills, knowledge and expertise. A good project manager gives some confidence on the project performance as per standards, budget, schedule, as well as expectations or satisfaction of stakeholders. The Last mile connectivity project being an initiative of the government, there has to be a balance between the political push, expectations of Wananchi as well as the other donors of the projects. Thus, a good project manager will try to ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied though not completely but to some extent giving hopes to the various stakeholder’ that someone is in control and they should relax for their expectations to be met. REFERENCES [1] Freeman, R. E. (2015). A Stakeholder Theory of Modern Corporation. Perspectives in Business Ethics, 112-122. [2] Carroll, A., & Buchholtz, A. (2011). Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management. Stamford, USA: Cengage Learning. [3] Maina, B. M. (2013). Influence of stakeholders’ participation on the success of the economic stimulus programme: a case of education projects in Nakuru County, Kenya. [4] PMI. (2014). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (5th ed.). 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