Publication:

Influence Of Monitoring And Evaluation On Performance Of Health Projects In Makueni County, Kenya

In Makueni County, health projects are a key focus of development, receiving the second-highest number of projects and fifth-highest budget allocation. However, there have been delays in project completion, with 23 projects still ongoing and 23 delayed out of a total of 334 health projects (County Project Management System, 2017). Despite the importance of monitoring and evaluation in ensuring the success of these projects, the monitoring and evaluation process in Makueni is inadequate, with limited research on the influence of monitoring and evaluation functions such as planning, training, and frameworks on health project performance. This lack of emphasis on monitoring and evaluation has led to a potential risk of misusing public or donor funds and an increase in delayed projects or projects not achieving their expected outcomes. The purpose of the study was to analyze the influence of monitoring and evaluation on implementation of health projects in Makueni County. The specific objectives of this study were to (i) To establish the influence of M&E level of training on implementation of health projects in Makueni County. (ii) To analyze the influence of M&E planning on implementation of health projects in Makueni County. (iii) To analyze the influence of M&E systems on implementation of health projects in Makueni County. Theory of Change has been used in this study. The research methodology used was mixed as the study had both quantitative and qualitative data. A descriptive study design was adopted in this study. The projects of interest were the ones done from 2013 to 2018 fiscal years. The target population was 314 health project managers. A sample to represent the whole population consisted of 84 respondents selected from the target population by use of both stratified and simple random sampling methods. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. Variables namely monitoring and evaluation of human resources, implementation strategy, training, and planning were analyzed using R. The findings will enable the researcher to assist policy makers in Makueni County to develop better policies that will help the County come close to achieving the third Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and upraising the wellbeing of residents of all ages, by ensuring accountability in health projects. The study found that the majority of the project managers had been trained in M&E, but the level and length of training varied.