Influence of monitoring and evaluation practices on performance of water projects in Iringa District Council, Tanzania

Abstract

The study aimed to analyse the influence of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) practices on the performance of water projects in Iringa District Council. Specifically, the study analysed the influence of M&E capacity building; Stakeholder involvement in M&E; and Utilization of M&E findings as the independent variables that influence the dependent variable (performance of water projects). This study was conducted in Iringa District Council, Iringa region, Tanzania. The performance based theory was used to guide this study. The targeted population for this study comprised all stakeholders involved in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of rural water projects in Iringa District Council. This study adopts a positivist philosophy. The study employed a deductive research approach, whereby an explanatory quantitative research design was adopted. The study employed stratified sampling approach to sample total of 392 respondents from the target population. The data was collected using questionnaires whereby descriptive and inferential analysis was performed using SPSS Version 27.0. In descriptive analysis frequencies, percentages and mean were performed and multiple linear regression analysis was conducted in inferential analysis. The study found that all three variables are important factors influencing performance of water projects in Iringa district council. The proxies of capacity building scored mean scores between 3.86 and 4.08. Also, the mean scores for stakeholder involvement in M&E ranged between 3.78 and 3.86, while utilisation of M&E findings had mean score above 4.00. Additionally, the study found that the M&E capacity building had the highest and statistically significant coefficients: its predictor was the strongest (β = 0.412, t = 9.297, p < 0.001), followed by stakeholders’ involvement in M&E (β = 0.324, t = 7.194, p < 0.001), then utilisation of M&E findings which had a relatively lower coefficient (= 0.196, t = 5.553, p < 0.001). The study concludes that M&E capacity building, stakeholder involvement in M&E, and utilization of M&E findings all significantly contribute to the performance of water projects in Iringa District Council. Among the three factors, M&E capacity building was the strongest predictor of project performance, followed by stakeholder involvement and utilization of M&E findings. The findings therefore demonstrate that strengthening M&E skills and competencies, promoting active stakeholder participation, and ensuring the timely use of M&E findings for decision-making are essential for improving the performance and sustainability of water projects. The study recommends that Iringa Water Authority should improve M&E capacity building, involve all stakeholders in project monitoring and evaluation and also, there should be effective use of M&E findings to ensure effective performance of water projects.