INFLUENCE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON PERFORMANCE OF MOBILE MONEY TRANSFER IN KENYA: A CASE OF ORANGE MONEY

Abstract

Mobile money has grown rapidly in Kenya over the last one decade. Through mobile money services, Kenya is meeting a long-standing challenge for many African countries: providing financial services to the large population that does not have traditional bank accounts, the “unbanked.” The overall objective of this study was to establish the influence of project management practices on the performance of mobile money transfer in Kenya, a case of Orange Money. The specific objectives of the study included: to determine the influence of monitoring and evaluation on the performance of Orange Money; to examine the influence of risk management on the performance of Orange Money; to assess the influence of project leadership skills on the performance of Orange Money; and to establish the influence of stakeholder participation on the performance of Orange Money. The study adopted a case study design. The target population for the study constituted 420 full time employees of Telkom Kenya based in its headquarters in Nairobi. Stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 63 respondents for the study. A questionnaire, an interview guide and a document analysis guide were used to collect data in this study. The collected data was analyzed by generating frequencies and percentages. Means and standard deviations were also generated. Correlation analysis was undertaken to establish relationships between and among variables. The findings were presented using tables and figures. The study findings indicate that there is a positive and significant correlation between monitoring and evaluation, risk management, project leadership skills, stakeholders’ participation and performance of Orange Money. A regression analysis established that monitoring and evaluation has the most influence on performance of Orange Money, followed by project leadership skills, then stakeholders’ participation and the least is risk management. The study concludes that, though monitoring and evaluation are important in influencing performance of Orange Money, awareness of the existing processes needs to be done to employees. Management of Orange Money requires specific sets of skills and competencies. Regular training should be done to equip the team with the relevant skills. The study therefore recommends awareness programs on the existing plans and processes of monitoring and evaluation. The management should also conduct regular training for its employees in order for them to acquire the necessary skills to deliver as required.