Institutional Factors Influencing Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation in NGOs in Uganda: A Case of TASO Mbarara and Rukungiri Service Centers

Abstract

The participatory approach to Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is considered core to project development and implementation because it seeks to involve people who will be affected by the project throughout its entire process. Over the years, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have played a significant role in implementing community-centered projects in Uganda. However, the level of community participation has been mainly limited to needs assessments, consultative meetings during the design of the project and baseline studies. This has greatly hindered project sustainability and effectiveness in achieving the intended objectives due to less ownership of the interventions by local people, a phenomenon attributed to institutional-based factors. The study examined the influence of institutional factors (leadership styles and staff competencies) on Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) and explored how organizational structure influences PM&E and the stakeholder perspectives towards PM&E at The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Mbarara and Rukungiri service centers. The researchers adopted a mixed methods approach with a concurrent triangulation model involving a sample of 76 respondents whose views were obtained using questionnaires and 10 participants in key informant interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPPS version 20.0, while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that leadership styles and staff competencies had a statistically significant relationship with PM&E. Qualitative findings further revealed that organizational structure in terms of policies and roles determines the extent of participation, the frequency, and how stakeholders are engaged. Stakeholder perspectives aligned towards technical skills needed for meaningful participation in M&E, policy limitations, and financial constraints influenced participation at all stages. Rigorous stakeholder mapping and analysis by institutions is key in understanding interests and capacities of stakeholders which can be addressed and aligned to enhance participatory monitoring and evaluation.