Abstract: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of peer influence on youth’s participation in development projects in Naivasha sub-county Kenya. This study utilized the social systems theory and participatory communication theory. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The studies focused on all Naivasha Sub-county registered youth groups. There are 13 youth-based youth groups with a population of 600 youth members. The study targeted 2 officials from the youth office in Naivasha Sub-county. The study adopted a stratified random sampling technique to get the sample size of 57 youths from the 13 community youth-based youth groups in Naivasha. A purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the two officials responsible for the implementation of the youth program in the Naivasha Sub-county. The questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect the primary data desirable for the study. Data was analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics involved the calculation of percentages, frequencies, measures of central tendencies (mean), and measures of dispersion (standard deviation). Inferential statistics involving correlation analysis was used to determine the association between variables under investigation at a 0.05 confidence level. From the findings, there is a positive significant relationship between peer influences on youth participation in development projects in Naivasha sub-county Kenya as shown by a regression coefficient of 0.289.The researcher concluded that peer influence significantly influences the youth’s decision to participate in the development project. From the finding, the researcher recommends that youth should be considered an integral part of the decision-making of community projects. The researcher recommends that participation in community development initiatives and education will enable youth to develop the necessary analytical skills that will enable them to become critical thinkers and problem-solvers in their future careers. The researcher recommends that further study should be done on the effects of youth empowerment programs on youth participation in the implementation of community development projects in Kenya.
Keywords: youth’s participation, development projects peer influence, participatory communication theory SPSS.
Title: Effect of Peer Influence on Youth’s Participation in Development Projects in Naivasha Sub-County Kenya
Author: Simon Kuria, David Gichuhi, Alice Omondi
International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations
ISSN 2348-7585 (Online)
Vol. 11, Issue 2, October 2023 - March 2024
Page No: 23-30
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 17-October-2023
