Abstract
Housing construction projects in Nairobi City County continue to experience persistent performance challenges, including project delays, cost overruns, quality deficiencies, and low stakeholder satisfaction despite increased public and private investment in the housing sector. This study examined the influence of two Project Integration Management (PIM) practices, stakeholder engagement and communication and documentation, on the performance of housing construction projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was anchored on Stakeholder Theory and Systems Theory, which provide theoretical explanations for stakeholder collaboration and integrated information management in project environments. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The target population comprised 102 project managers overseeing active and recently completed public, private, and public-private partnership (PPP) housing projects in Nairobi City County. Given the manageable population, a census approach was employed. Primary data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, whose validity and reliability were established through expert review, Content Validity Index (CVI), and Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.70. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 27 through descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. The findings revealed that both stakeholder engagement and communication and documentation have positive and statistically significant effects on housing project performance. Communication and documentation emerged as the strongest predictor of project performance, followed closely by stakeholder engagement. The study concludes that effective stakeholder participation, structured communication systems, consistent reporting, and reliable documentation enhance project coordination, accountability, transparency, and overall project delivery. However, weaknesses remain in stakeholder feedback mechanisms, conflict resolution processes, digital documentation systems, and accessibility of project information. The study recommends institutionalizing structured stakeholder engagement frameworks, strengthening feedback and conflict resolution mechanisms, investing in digital communication and document management platforms, and standardizing project reporting systems to improve coordination and accountability. These interventions are expected to enhance the timely, cost-effective, and quality delivery of housing construction projects in Nairobi City County.
Keywords: Project Integration Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Communication and Documentation, Housing Construction Projects, Project Performance, Nairobi City County, Kenya.