Abstract:
The implementation of housing projects should aim to get construction work completed
within stipulated time and within the costs estimated. The frequencies of stalled
construction projects, the government dismantling some illegally constructed buildings,
collapsing buildings and the disturbing death toll that accompanies these events, have
become significant issues in Kenya. The study sought to examine the effects of project
communication on implementation of public housing construction projects in Nairobi
County, Kenya. Nairobi County was chosen for the study since it is the capital city of
Kenya with many housing construction projects ongoing. The objectives of this study
were to assess how communication channels affects implementation of public housing
construction projects within Nairobi County; to determine the effect of project team
communication skills on the implementation process of public housing construction
projects within Nairobi County and to examine the effect of communication structures
on the implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County.
This study was anchored on Project management theory by Koskela and Howell
(2002b), Implementation theory by Maskin and Sj'strom (2002) and Groupthink
theories by Irving Janis (1972. To attain the research objectives, the study used the
cross-sectional research design, in which it selected a sample of 252 respondents from
a target population of 681 employees at the Nairobi County Government, Building
Inspection Unit, licensed architectural and quantity surveyor firms and building
contractors operating in Nairobi. The study used descriptive statistics, correlation
analysis and regression analysis to analyze the data collected from the respondent using
structured questionnaire. Multiple linear regression model was used to answer the
research hypothesis. Based on the results obtained in the study, it was found out that
communication channels (β1= 0.003146, p=0.009); Communication skills (β2=0.227,
p=0.006) and Communication structures (β3=0.687, p<0.001) had significant positive
effect on implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi
County. In conclusion, given that Channels of communication are key to the execution
of construction projects, secondly having a team with better communication skills can
provide quick decision making during critical stages of construction and lastly
Communication structure forms a crucial aspect of the process of project execution. It
was evident that project communication had a significant positive impact on
implementation of public housing construction projects within Nairobi County. The
study therefore, recommends that construction firms embrace project communication
in order to enhance successful implementation of housing construction projects