Monitoring and Evaluation Practices and Performance of Food and Nutrition Projects Funded by Non Governmental Organizations. A Case of Clean Plate Nutrition Project in Kibra Sub-county, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Monitoring and evaluation is a very important aspect for any organization whether upcoming or that has been in existence. It helps organizations know what areas to make improvements, which projects to retain and which ones to discard, as well as make critical decisions as regards to management and resource allocation. Research investigated how monitoring and evaluation affect the performance of food and nutrition projects funded by NGOs, focusing on the Clean Plate Nutrition Project in Kibra Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. It explored four variables: M&E planning, data management, data utilization, and stakeholder participation. The research was grounded in four theories—Transactive Planning, Theory of Constraints, Stakeholder Theory, and Realistic Evaluation Theory. A descriptive study design was used to gather quantitative data for the investigation. The research focused on Clean Plate Nutrition NGO in Kibra Subcounty. The total target population was set at 182 individuals. These included project managers, M&E officer, Nutrition specialists, health educators, Data analysts and field officers working for the NGO. Local community, religious leaders and teachers from local schools also made the target population. The quantitative data that was collected was analyzed using software known as SPSS version 22. The study concluded that M&E Planning initiatives improves the performance of the Clean Plate Nutrition project in Kibra Subcounty. The study also concluded that use of M&E data have a positive influence on the performance of the Clean Plate Nutrition project. The study recommended that to enhance project performance further, it is recommended that the Clean Plate Nutrition project continuously update and refine its M&E planning processes, making sure that all relevant stakeholders do the planning to foster a shared understanding and commitment to the project goals and that to address inconsistencies in data cleaning procedures, the project should establish standardized data cleaning protocols and provide training for staff to ensure these procedures are consistently applied. This will enhance the reliability and effectiveness of data management.