EFFECT OF MONITORING ON PERFORMANCE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION PROJECTS IN ARID AND SEMI-ARID AREAS IN KENYA

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) contribute significantly to addressing humanitarian and development challenges in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas. However, project implementation in these regions is affected by environmental uncertainty, inadequate infrastructure, resource constraints, and accountability challenges. Effective monitoring systems are essential for improving project accountability, resource utilization, stakeholder engagement, and achievement of project objectives. This study examined the effect of monitoring on the performance of NGO projects in arid and semi-arid areas in Kenya. The study was guided by stakeholder theory and adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design. Data were collected from 157 respondents drawn from 29 NGOs operating under the ASAL Humanitarian Network. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, diagnostic tests, and regression analysis, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings established that monitoring had a significant positive effect on NGO project performance. Regression results revealed that monitoring was the strongest predictor of project performance among the internal financial control factors examined, with a coefficient of β = 0.256 and p = 0.000. The study concludes that effective monitoring enhances project completion, quality achievement, and financial efficiency. NGOs operating in ASAL areas should strengthen monitoring systems through improved progress tracking, resource utilization assessment, and stakeholder participation.