Factors influencing utilisation of data in monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDs: a case of National Aids Control Council in Nakuru Town, Kenya

Abstract

The HlV/AIDS pandemic has serious social and economic consequences on individuals, households and communities globally. One of the three pillars of HIV 1 AIDS management is one national monitoring and evaluation framework that is expected to provide timely and relevant data to guide programming .The Kenya government National AIDS Strategic Plan (KNASP III) for the period 2009/10 to 2012/13 notes that previous interventions lacked adequate use of M&E data for program planning and implementation.

Previous studies on the role of demographic and health monitoring and evaluation data component at the global and national levels indicate that data resources exist but there is a problem with its use. Collecting data and not using it for program improvements beats the purpose of the exercise and might derail the efforts to achieve the national and millennium development goals by the year 2015. It was therefore necessary for research to be done on the factors influencing the use of data in monitoring and evaluation of HIV 1 AIDS at the decentralized levels.

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors influencing utilisation of data in monitoring and evaluation HlV/AIDS. Specifically, the study sought to establish; the extent of use of data; the influence of data accessibility, data ownership and organizational framework to the use of data in monitoring and evaluation of HIV 1 AIDS at the decentralized levels. The research adopted a descriptive case study design. The population comprised of 39 HIV/AIDS management organizations in Nakuru town operating under the National Aids Control Council (NACC).

The sampling frame was obtained from the NACC South Rift office in Nakuru and stratified random sampling design was used to choose the appropriate sample. Data was collected by use of a structured questionnaire directed to the project managers. A pilot study was carried out in four similar organizations in Naivasha constituency that improved the validity and reliability of the instrument.

The data in the filled up questionnaires was checked for errors, coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows version 10 was used for data analysis. The results were presented in tables and discussions followed. The research findings show that that monitoring and valuation data is being utilized well in the management of HlV/AIDS among national Aids Control Council programs in Nakuru town. However there are variations in the extent of use ofM&E data among different projects for selected purposes depending on the internal demand for data and experience.

The research findings indicate data accessibility; data dissemination and organizational M&E framework greatly influence the use of M&E data and should therefore be reinforced to ensure optimum utilization. M&E data ownership is not a factor influencing M&E data use but enhanced stakeholder participation in M&E function is a dimension of ownership that need to be improved to enhance data use. As a recommendation the National AIDS Control Council should emphasize on the requirement for an elaborate internal monitoring and evaluation plan in the funding proposals at the decentralized levels. This would create internal demand for data and consequently its use among HIV/AIDS project as per the Kenya National AIDS Strategic Plan III (2009-2013) objective for better HIV/AIDS response.