Project Management Practices and the Performance of Infrastructure Projects in Kenya: A Critical Review

Tim Mwangi and Isaac Mabwago
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Tim Mwangi: School of Business, Economics and Tourism, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
Isaac Mabwago: School of Business, Economics and Tourism, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.

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Abstract: Infrastructure delivery occupies a central place in Kenya's development agenda, yet roads, railways, water schemes and public buildings continue to experience delays, cost escalation and quality shortfalls that undermine their intended developmental returns. This review synthesises the scholarly literature on project management practices and the performance of infrastructure projects in Kenya, situating the country's experience within the wider body of research on infrastructure delivery across sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. The review traces how planning and scheduling, risk management, stakeholder engagement, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, and resource and quality management practices have been examined in relation to time, cost, quality and stakeholder-satisfaction outcomes. It further considers the institutional and political economy conditions, including devolution, corruption and financing constraints, that mediate the translation of sound project management practice into improved performance. The review finds that while individual practices are well documented in isolated studies, the literature remains fragmented across disciplinary silos, methodologically dominated by cross-sectional survey designs, and thin on rigorous longitudinal or comparative analysis. Digitalisation, climate-resilient design and public–private financing arrangements emerge as underexplored but increasingly consequential themes. The review closes by identifying priority directions for future research and drawing out the practical and policy implications of the evidence assembled, while acknowledging the limitations inherent in a narrative synthesis of a heterogeneous and rapidly evolving literature.

Date: 2026-07-30
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Published in Asian Journal of Economics, Finance and Management , 2026, 8 (1), pp.789-803

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