Factors influencing effective implementation of monitoring and evaluation practices in donor funded projects in Kenya: a case of Turkana District

Abstract

Donors playa significant role in the social development process in all regions of the world. They are particularly critical in circumstances where State funds are limited, political situations are fluid, natural disasters resulting from both predictable and unpredictable environmental circumstances occur, ethnic strife is rampant, and the level of per capita income severely restricts the ability to purchase needed goods and services - social, educational and economic. However, many of the projects funded or initiated by most donors have ended up collapsing either within the project period while others that survived the project period have not proceeded further after the termination of donor support. This has raised the questions; do these projects have a well designed monitoring and evaluations (M&E) plans to ensure effective implementation M&E practices? What factors affect the design and implementation of M&E practices in this projects. This study sought to establish factors that influence effective implementation of M&E practices in donor funded projects in Turkana District. The study targeted seven projects with 209 staffs working in donor funded projects in Turkana District. The respondents included project managers, project administrators, leT staffs, finance staffs and other M&E staffs. The sixty three respondents in the survey were formally interviewed using structured questionnaires and respondent came from various projects. The data was collected through questionnaires edited, classified, coded and tabulated in a systematic manner to allow for accurate analysis. Tools of descriptive statistics were employed to analyze data. To aid and speed-up data analysis process, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to generate the statistics. The data was presented in form of pie charts, bar graphs, frequency tables, percentages among others so as to provide a complete and accurate presentation of the findings. On the key findings and recommendations, the researcher found that staff competency, resource adequacy, technology adoption and donor policies play a pivotal role in determining the performance and success of donor funded project. However, the study found that there Is a shared need for proper understanding of M & E practices in donor funded project. The study therefore recommended transfer of knowledge gained on M&E trainings to field, use of relevant, affordable and acceptable technology, set aside adequate funding for M&E practices and last the rigidity in donor policies be done away with.