Monitoring Practices and Implementation of Donor-Funded Agricultural Projects in Kenya

Abstract

Monitoring has become a crucial tool for achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability worldwide. In Kenya, the agricultural sector plays a vital role in economic development and receives significant support from donor-funded projects. However, many of these projects face challenges such as delays, stalls, or failure to launch. Despite the importance of monitoring in ensuring project success, most existing studies have focused on isolated monitoring practices, like market access, information dissemination, and M&E, without providing a comprehensive assessment of how different monitoring aspects collectively influence project implementation. This study, therefore, examined how monitoring practices, specifically techniques, planning, stakeholder involvement, and resource availability, affect the implementation of donor-funded agricultural projects in Kenya. It also assessed the role of project environment enablers as moderators in this relationship. The research was based on five theoretical frameworks: the Theory of Project Management, Program Theory, Stakeholder Theory, Resource-Based View, and Control Theory. Using a positivist approach and a descriptive research design, the study targeted donor-funded agricultural projects across Kenya, including those financed by international agencies like IFAD, USAID, and the World Bank. The unit of analysis comprised 26 projects implemented between 2016 and 2020, while the unit of observation included 383 project team members involved in these projects. A simple random sampling method was used to select respondents, mainly project managers, coordinators, and technical staff engaged in project implementation. Primary data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. The validity of the research instruments was confirmed through expert review and a pre-test conducted before complete data collection. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25, employing descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and multiple regression to explore relationships among variables. Content analysis was used for qualitative responses. The results indicated a significant combined effect of monitoring techniques, planning, stakeholder involvement, and resource availability on project implementation (regression coefficients =. . 097, .171,. 260, and. .207, respectively; all P- values <. .05). However, monitoring techniques alone had no significant individual effect (P =. .426). The findings revealed that project environment enablers played a significant moderating role in the link between monitoring practices and the implementation of projects, underscoring the need for a robust monitoring framework to ensure the effective execution of donor-funded agricultural initiatives in Kenya. Consequently, the study recommends enhancing adaptive monitoring mechanisms, prioritizing capacity development and training for project teams, and formulating supportive policies that institutionalize effective monitoring within project management practices.