Community based factors influencing monitoring and evaluation of constituency development funded projects in Mwingi central sub-county, Kitui county, Kenya

Abstract

Communities and other stakeholders have been unsuccessful in taking up ownership of projects through participatory monitoring and evaluation which has plunged community projects into immense financial huddles threatening their sustainability and hence threatening them to cease operations daily. Community participation and contribution to projects funded by C.D.F is low or lacking creating lack of concern to development initiatives where community contribution is required. To confront this problem, this study sought to establish community based factors influencing monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi central sub-county, Kitui County, Kenya. The study specifically sought to; assess the influence of demographic factors on monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County; establish the influence of economic factors on monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County; examine the influence of socio-cultural practices on monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County; and to establish the influence of technological factors on monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The population for the purpose of this study was community members (households) in Mwingi Central Sub County, Kitui County and an official of the County Government of Kitui. Mwingi Central Sub County was selected as the study site due to proximity to the researcher, time available for research and budgetary constraints. The study population constituted of 399 randomly selected households from six wards in Mwingi Central Sub County, 12 committee members from the board of management of C.D.F projects, and one senior officer from the locality C.D.F fund office. The study relied on data collected through a questionnaire structured to meet the objectives of the study. Responses were tabulated, coded and processed by use of a computer Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0 programme to analyze the data. Quantitative information was summarized into frequencies, percentages and graphs. Qualitative information in the interview guide was transcribed and reported in narrative reports. The study found that there exists a positive association between; demographic factors and community based factors influencing monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County; economic factors and community based factors influencing monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County, socio-cultural practices and community based factors influencing monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County, and technological factors and community based factors influencing monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County. This positive association suggests that community based factors influence monitoring and evaluation of C.D.F projects in Mwingi Central Sub-County, Kitui County. There is need to conduct a similar study which will attempt to find out the challenges facing implementation of sustainable C.D.F projects in Kenya.