PARTICIPATORY MONITORING AND EVALUATION IN GENDER EQUALITY ADVANCEMENT IN GARISSA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Despite decades of development efforts, gender inequality remains a persistent challenge in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), including Garissa County. Women and marginalized groups continue to face limited participation in public decision-making and inadequate inclusion in project planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes. This exclusion undermines not only gender equity goals but also the effectiveness and sustainability of development interventions. Although participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) has gained traction as a people-centered and inclusive approach, its actual application in promoting gender equality at the local governance level remains underexplored, particularly in culturally conservative and resource-constrained regions like Garissa. This study sought to investigate the role of participatory monitoring and evaluation in advancing gender equality in Garissa County. Specifically, it examined how socio-economic factors, stakeholder collaboration influence the participation of women in M&E processes. The study was grounded in participatory development theory and gender-transformative evaluation frameworks. The research adopted a descriptive and exploratory design, utilizing a census approach to collect data from all 137 targeted respondents, including Ugatuzi na Kazi project beneficiaries, elected county assembly members, ward administrators, field supervisors, and a sub-county administrator. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that combined closed-ended Likert-scale items and open-ended questions to capture both quantitative patterns and qualitative insights. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple regression analysis and correlation testing, with results presented in tables and charts. Diagnostic tests were also conducted to ensure model reliability. The qualitative responses were thematically analyzed to contextualize statistical findings. Descriptive results showed strong agreement that socio-economic and institutional factors shape women’s involvement, with aggregate means above 3.8 across all variables. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between all independent variables and gender equality (r-values ranging from 0.642 to 0.792, p < 0.05). Regression results confirmed that the four predictors jointly explained 70.8% of the variance in gender equality advancement (R = 0.861, R² = 0.709, Adjusted R² = 0.708, n = 106). The study concluded that participatory M&E is strongly influenced by socio-economic conditions, collaboration among stakeholders. It recommends targeted financial support to women, stronger multi-stakeholder frameworks, to enhance women’s effective participation in M&E processes.

Key Words: Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, Gender Equality, Garissa County, Socio-Economic Factors, Stakeholder Collaboration