Monitoring, Evaluation Practices and Sustainability of Community-Based Projects in Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

Previously, community-based projects in Embu County experienced rapid rise in number. However, the existence of projects has become a challenge to many communities and organizations. Thirty-seven percent of the community-based projects are left uncompleted, while twenty-nine percent are completely abandoned since they cannot meet society's long-term needs. The project's failure is associated with a lack of continuous auditing and appraisal. However, the research studied the effect of evaluating the activities and monitoring on community-based operations and projects in Embu County, Kenya. Specifically, the study examined the impact of project planning, feedback, allocation of resources, as well as training on the existence of community-based programs in Embu County. The investigation was made on the basis of three theories: sustainability, resource-based view, and system theory. A target population of 2 community-based projects in Embu County, notably, Makima wash and street children rehabilitation and empowerment, was used. The study targeted 71 respondents who were involved in the two community-based projects. The stratified random sampling approach was utilized to determine 55 sample sizes of interviewees. A planned investigative instrument was used for data gathering from the respondents. Descriptive and multiple regression analysis techniques were adopted. On the regression analysis, the research found that planning project has a significant great upshot on Embu County's existence of community-based projects in the country. In addition, the study found that feedback has a substantial positive outcome on Embu County's thriving of community-based projects in Kenya. Also, this study established the significance of positive effect as a result of resource distribution on the thriving of community-based programs in Embu County, Kenya. Finally, the research results are, the staff training recorded positive results on sustainable community-based projects in Embu County, Kenya. Moreover, the research recommends that the operation team as well as the management implement effective project planning. A project team member should ensure that their monitoring and evaluation control plan aligns with the project M&E plan. The study further recommends a sound feedback system on the different project phases, from initiation to execution. The project’s execution should be well-coordinated with transparency in decision making on monitoring and evaluation feedback. The study also recommends that there should be enhanced human resource competency to monitoring and evaluation resource planning. There should be efficient monitoring and evaluation of resource allocation in project activities. The study further recommends that project training should be handled with utmost importance. Project team members should be adequately trained to identify, control, and evaluate errors encountered in community projects. The research process illustrates that additional studies focused on community-based projects in other counties in Kenya to produce country-specific results.