Cost control and realization of national government constituencies development fund projects in Kikuyu constituency, Kiambu county, Kenya

Project cost control aims at controlling changes to the project budgeted cost in the contract document. Available data shows that the area of project management is riddled with project failure and cost overruns. This study sought to establish the influence of cost control on the realization of NG-CDF projects in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County, Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted for this study. National Government Constituencies Development Fund projects in Kikuyu Constituency were the unit of observation, while members of the project management committees were the unit of analysis. A sample of 259 respondents was used. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive and chi-square analyses were used to analyze data with the help of SPSS. The majority (62.9%) of the respondents indicated that the project they were involved in was incomplete. Slightly half (58.5%) of the respondents indicated that the project was not on a budget. Results showed that 37.5% of the respondents cited inadequate money, 35.5% cited disbursement challenges, and 31.5% indicated price fluctuations as challenges experienced in the cost control of the projects. There was a significant relationship (p=0.021) between cost control on the realization of NG-CDF projects in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County, Kenya. The study concluded that cost control influences the realization of NG-CDF projects in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County, Kenya. There is a need for CDF committees to conduct research for products and services needed in the planning stages of NGCDF projects. This will enable better cost control which ultimately leads to higher project realization. Key Words:Project control, cost control, project management