Monitoring and Evaluation Practices and Project Performance of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Projects in Kenya: a Case of the Kenya Red Cross Society

Abstract

Monitoring and evaluation of WASH practices and activities has always been project driven in the developing world. In the present time, quite a number of organization think of M&E as a donor precondition in lieu of a management tool that is task with evaluating progress, and tracking and fixing issues. Less organisations have confidence in M&E mostly on the grounds that its impact on project performance isn't surely known in spite of numerous empirical researches having been done. Against this background, the study examined the M&E practices influence on performance of WASH projects in Kenya at the Kenya Red Cross Society. The specific aims of this study was to determine planning, capacity building, stakeholder involvement and data dissemination and use in M&E on performance of WASH projects in Kenya. The research preferred descriptive survey design. The study population was 56 respondents working on the 2 WASH projects completed in 2020. The study employed census sampling. Questionnaire was the main instrument of data collection. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The presentation of data was in form of tables. With a combined mean of 2.7114, it was established that slightly more than half of project staff at KRCS strongly-agreed that M&E planning in project implementation led to improved performance of WASH projects carried by KRCS. For the composite mean of 4.3284, it meant that majority of staff at KRCS strongly-agreed that integration of capacity building lead to better performance of WASH projects carried out by KRC. Also, a combined mean of 4.0943 meant that majority of staff at KRCS strongly-agreed that stakeholders’ involvement in M&E led to improved performance of WASH projects carried out by KRCS. Finally, with a composite mean of 4.2014, majority of respondents strongly-agreed that integration of data dissemination led to better performance of WASH projects carried out by KRCS. Therefore, the study concluded planning in M&E, capacity building in M&E, Stakeholders’ Involvement, data dissemination and use in M&E affects all performance of WASH projects in Kenya at the Kenya Red Cross Society. The study recommended that M&E personnel should express higher qualification in order to guide the units in attaining its roles.