LUCY WATIRI GACHUKI2026-06-272026-06-272026-06-27https://repository.cuea.edu/handle/123456789/697ThesisVarious studies report that although donor projects achieve short term outcomes, they fail to maintain their impact once the funding from donors’ ceases due to sustainability issues caused by a lack of or an insufficient participation of necessary stakeholders. However, limited studies have specifically examined how stakeholder participation influences the sustainability of donor –funded projects within faith- based organizations operating in urban informal settlements such as Mukuru, Nairobi. Due to this, the study examined how stakeholder participation influenced the sustainability of donor -funded projects in Mukuru promotion centre in Nairobi, Kenya (MPC). In particular, the study was centered on four objectives that included, participatory planning, stakeholder communication, stakeholder resources mobilisation, stakeholder monitoring and evaluation. The study’s theoretical framework was built on the Participation Theory and Sustainability Theory, and a mixed method approach with convergent parallel design was chosen. Quantitative data was collected from 157 participants through a self-developed structured questionnaire. The qualitative data was collected from 17 respondents, selected based on their role in MPC through semi-structured interviews. Census and purposive sampling was used to ensure that all key stakeholders were represented. Quantitative data was analysed on SPSS (version 27) using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and multiple linear regression. While the qualitative data was analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed that participatory planning (r = 0.501, p < 0.01), stakeholder resource mobilization (r = 0.504, p < 0.01), and stakeholder monitoring and evaluation (r = 0.535, p < 0.01) had positive and statistically significant effects on project sustainability. However, communication showed a weak to moderate positive but significant relationship (r = 0.375, p < 0.01), which suggests that there might be inefficiencies in communication channels. The qualitative findings reinforced the important role of stakeholder participation on project sustainability which can lead to community ownership, diversified resource innovations, all of which promote less dependency on donor funding. Based on the above findings, the study concludes that meaningful and effective stakeholder participation leads to the enhancement of project sustainability, but this effectiveness depends on inclusivity, transparency, and local capacity building right from needs assessment to continuous decision making. The study recommends that strengthening different areas such as participatory structures, communication channels, and self-reliant funding sources would promote the sustainability of projects. These findings are relevant to donor-funded organisations, donors, policymakers, and project implementers, and it provides practical insight on how best to design and implement sustainable donor-funded projects.enStakeholder participationSustainabilityDonor-funded projectsMukuru Promotion CenterNairobiKenyaThesis