ABSTRACT
Performance of construction projects in Kenya is a matter of great concern to stakeholders, as most of the construction projects have experienced delays and cost overruns which have adversely affected their performance. Construction projects are very prone to risk which have the significant impact on their performance in terms of time, cost and quality. As the size and complexity of construction projects increases, ability to manage risk throughout the construction process has become a key element of preventing the negative impact of risk. The general objective of the study was to investigate the effects of risk management Strategies and performance of construction projects in public Secondary schools in Murang’a County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study was to; determine the influence of risk avoidance strategy, to establish the influence of risk reduction strategy, to examine the effectiveness of risk transfer strategy and to assess the effects of risk retention strategy and performance of construction projects in secondary schools in Murang’a County. The study was guided by Network theory, Enterprise Risk Management theory and Expectancy theory. The study employed descriptive research design while judgmental or purposive sampling technique was used to select public secondary schools in Murang’a County to participate in the study. The study used primary data which was gathered by administering questionnaires. Then the data was summarized and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistical involved the use of frequencies tables’ standard deviation, mean and mode while inferential statistics included the use of regression analysis to analyze quantitative data. The findings of the study were presented in form of tables, frequencies, percentages, pie charts to ease interpretations and understanding. Analysis of the data was performed with the help of SPSS software where regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between independent and dependent variable. The risk avoidance strategy was found to have the strongest influence on performance of construction projects since it had highest beta coefficient value while risk transfer had the lowest beta coefficient value. The analysis of research findings led to conclusion that risk management strategies have significant influence on performance of construction project in secondary schools. Furthermore, correlation analysis of risk management strategies and performance showed positive correlation. This study strongly recommends more studies in public secondary school, colleges and universities in other Counties in order to ascertain the in influence of risk management and performance of construction projects in education sectors. The study also recommends more research to be carried out in order to find out the relationship between risk management strategies and sustainability of construction projects in education sectors.