Strategic factors Influence on effective Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems in Kenya: A case of Turkana County

Abstract

This study examined strategic factors influence on effective M&E. Objectives of the study were to determine the extent technical capacity, work experience and technology influence effective M&E. It was based on the following theories that resonated with the subject matter, namely the theory of change and diffusion theory. A descriptive research design was used to determine how the three set of variables influenced effective M&E. The research had a target population of 48 practitioners from which a sample size of 43 was derived. Purposive and random sampling procedures were used in the study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire with a reliability statistic, Cronbach’s Alfa of 0.801 and subsequently analyzed using SPSS. The study found out that technical capacity, work experience and technology had a positive strong correlation of 0.572, 0.413 and 0.473 respectively, with effective M&E. Regression analysis of the data established the coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.536, accounting for 53.6% variance in effective M&E. The findings also revealed that both technical capacity and technology had a statistically significant relationship with effective M&E noting significance values of 0.001 and 0.009 (significance level 0.05) respectively. This was not the case for work experience as it did not have a statistically significant relationship with effective M&E, recording a significance value of 0.089 (significance level 0.05). The study therefore concluded that technical capacity and technology influenced effective M&E whereas work experience did not influence effective M&E. The study recommended that management should channel more effort in improving technical capacities of practitioners through regular on-job trainings, diversifying technology used in practice for digital integration and appropriating sufficient budget to cater for both acquisition of new technology and facilitation of on-job trainings. The study also recommended an investigation into other strategic factors not captured such as finance and good governance as an area of interest for further research on effective M&E.