Influence of monitoring and evaluation process on implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Kenya a case of UNICEF program, Kajiado county

Abstract

Project monitoring and evaluation is an integral part of the project cycle and important of good management practice. An effective monitoring and evaluation process is fundamental if the goals of a project are to be achieved. Through setting up proper monitoring and evaluation process, funding, stakeholders‟ participation, proper leadership and good baseline studies, efficient project implementation can be achieved thus enhancing the performance of projects. This study sought to analyze influence of monitoring and evaluation process on implementation of WASH projects: A case of UNICEF Kenya WASH program, Kajiado County. The study was guided by the stakeholder theory and the theory of change. The research was guided by the following objectives; to establish the influence of funding M&E process on implementation of WASH projects, to determine the influence of stakeholder participation in M&E on implementation of WASH projects and to assess the influence of project leadership in M&E on implementation of WASH projects. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design in solving the research problem. The study targeted employees of UNICEF Kenya working under the WASH program and in human resources, finance and administration departments and program beneficiaries. A sample was selected procedurally. An interview guide was also used to interview key informant persons in the organization. Collected data was edited, sorted, cleaned and coded for data analysis using SPSS statistical package. The findings were analyzed using means, standard deviation, percentages and frequencies then presented using tables. The level of association between the independent and dependent variables was assessed by estimating a linear regression analysis and the coefficient of determination (R2).The findings helped indicate whether UNICEF allocated funds to M&E activities and has a separate allocation for M&E and whether the funds were sufficient and the M&E unit is independent there were 60 observations which were used in the study. Composite Mean and Standard Deviation 2.67 and .547 respectively for funds for M&E .For stakeholders‟ participation this was 3.910 and 1.0933 and for leadership on implementation was 3.384 and 1.1204. The findings show a strong positive correlation between M&E leadership and implementation of projects with a correlation coefficient of 0.736. This implies that if organizations use effective leadership, the implementation efficiency level of projects will increase. The findings also show a positive correlation between funding of M&E process and implementation of projects with a correlation of 0.489. The study shows a strong positive correlation between stakeholders‟ participation and implementation of with correlation of 0.565. This implies that better enforcement of stakeholders‟ participation within UNICEF WASH project in Kajiado in Kenya can significantly improve the implementation of projects. Findings from this study revealed that monitoring and evaluation process has an influence on implementation of projects. Project implementation policy and its guidelines were well known by both the project implementers and project beneficiaries.