Determinants of Effective Monitoring and Evaluation System of Public Health Programs: A Case Study of School-Based Hand Washing Program in Kwale County, Kenya

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to identify determinants of effective monitoring and evaluation of public health programs, a case study of School based hand washing project in Kwale County which is implemented by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and other partners. Monitoring and evaluation is an essential and critical undertaking in any project or program. It assists the management to learn about their own activities and results, to support internal planning and development and accountability to their stakeholders. Organisations/programs need evidence of their efficiency and effectiveness for funders, commissioners and investors or generally all the stakeholders. Monitoring and evaluation is critical to public health programs locally and globally, as donors, governments, and other relevant stakeholders must validate their investments and improve program performance. Globally evaluation and repeated monitoring of a range of indicators reflecting hand hygiene infrastructures and practices is a vital component of any successful hand hygiene campaign. The data for the study was collected using descriptive research design where questionnaires were administered to team leaders, supervisors and other personnel who were involved in implementing the project to demonstrate associations or relationships between the variables. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 was used to analyze the data, descriptive statistics was used for data presentation. The study concluded that project human resource plays a vital role in monitoring and evaluation of public health programs and the project team should be composed of specialized staffs that are properly trained to conduct monitoring and evaluation. According to the study, key informants were aware and knowledgeable of hand washing project in Kwale County. For monitoring and evaluation systems to be functional properly, advocacy strategies need to be developed and supported within the organization. Also a culture to support monitoring and evaluation should be developed within the organization. The study made some recommendations which included involvement of all the stakeholders in School based hand washing project as this will assist in strengthening monitoring and evaluation unit, advocacy strategies on School based hand washing project in Kwale County needed some improvement.