Determinants of Community Participation in Water Resource Management among Water User Association Members in the Wami-Ruvu Basin, Tanzania

This study examined determinants of community participation in water resource management among Water User Association (WUA) members in the Wami-Ruvu Basin, Tanzania. Despite institutional efforts to promote participatory water governance, community participation in water management remains relatively weak, limiting sustainable resource governance. Guided by Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation and Participatory Development Theory, the study examined the influence of access to information, leaders’ resource mobilisation ability, and shared responsibility on community participation. A cross-sectional research design using a convergent mixed-method approach was adopted. A sample of 385 WUA-member households was determined using Cochran’s formula and selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Quantitative data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), while qualitative data from Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews were analysed thematically to triangulate and enrich quantitative findings. The findings reveal that access to information, leaders’ resource mobilisation ability, and shared responsibility significantly and positively influence community participation, jointly explaining 28.2% of the variance in community participation. Access to information had the strongest effect (β = 0.366), followed by shared responsibility (β = 0.191) and leaders’ resource mobilisation ability (β = 0.163). The study concludes that meaningful community participation in water resource management depends on effective communication, capable leadership, and collective accountability. It recommends that WUAs establish timely communication systems, local government authorities provide regular leadership training on resource mobilisation and governance, and policymakers institutionalise inclusive participatory decision-making mechanisms to strengthen sustainable water governance in Tanzania.