DETERMINANTS INFLUENCING MONITORING AND EVALUATION PERFORMANCE IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS: A CASE OF SOUTH RIFT COUNTY GOVERNMENTS, KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the determinants influencing monitoring and evaluation performance in County governments in the South Rift in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive research design with the target population comprising 40 County Executive Committee (10 CEC members from each of the four counties) that form the South Rift economic bloc namely: Narok, Kajiado, Bomet and Kericho counties. Census survey was adopted where data was collected from the 40 respondents. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed with the aid of SPSS using descriptive statistics such as percentages while inferential statistics included correlation coefficient and multi regression analysis. The research findings indicated that there exist significant positive relationships between institutional capacity, top management commitment, participatory monitoring and evaluation, monitoring and evaluation information systems and programs performance in South Rift economic bloc County governments. Conclusions were made that enough resource allocation to monitoring and evaluation department can enhance monitoring and evaluation practices. County governments that form the South Rift economic bloc have not development monitoring and evaluation departments with well trained staff. County Executives and CEC members are not in the frontline advocating for monitoring and evaluation; they do not attend seminars and workshops on monitoring and evaluation and have not really captured monitoring and evaluation in their departmental objectives. However, there is timely stakeholder participation in project monitoring and evaluation, and at inception of every project idea, the counties have developed a mechanism of identifying all types of stakeholders. It was recommended that the County Executives and CEC should be facilitated to attend seminars and workshops on monitoring and evaluation so as to acquire relevant skills which can be helpful to the counties in projects monitoring and evaluation. Further, the county governments should ensure that they use community participation, interviews or focused group discussion to carry out stakeholder participation. This will ensure that the local communities where the projects are being initiated are involved thus ensuring that the projects are beneficial in meeting the community needs.