Archive

Introduction

As part of Twende Mbele’s efforts to institutionalise equity and strengthen national monitoring and evaluation systems, in partnership with the Kenyan Government through the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, it was agreed to conduct a ‘Diagnostic Study of the Gender Responsiveness of National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System (NIMES) Kenya’. 

The study commissioned was by the National Treasury and Planning (Ministry) through the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate and supported by a broad national reference group comprising both government and non-government stakeholders. The study was undertaken between June and October 2019. 

Objectives of the study

1. Undertake a diagnostic study of the existing country evaluation system; investigating the extent to which the evaluation policies, procedures, frameworks and internal systems relate to what ought to be characteristic of an effective national gender responsive monitoring and evaluation system. 

2. Identify existing and potential barriers as well as enablers for a well-functioning gender responsive M&E system 

Monitoring and Evaluation plays an important role for effective and meaningful implementation of plans, policies, programmes and projects. The Kenya National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy provides an overall guidance on the establishment and implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) function in the public sector. This is the first Policy on M&E in the country that articulates the government’s commitment to accountability for development results. 

The Policy defines mechanisms for measuring efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of public policies, programmes and projects implementation. It outlines the principles for a strong M&E system as an important instrument for driving the achievements of programmes and government operations underpinning the Kenya Vision 2030. Further, it sets the basis for a transparent process by which the citizenry and other development stakeholders can undertake a shared appraisal of results. It outlines roles and responsibilities of public sector institutions, civil society, private sector, academia, media and development partners involved in implementation of policies, projects and programmes. 

Monitoring and evaluation processes help inform policy decision making in different spheres of government, including budget formulation. Even though M&E is predominantly used to track and evaluate various government programs and policies, it can play a critical role in improving the cost effectiveness of the program budgets. 

The current guidance from OECD and PEFA (Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Framework) says that national budgets should be linked to national development plans and medium-term strategic priorities that go beyond the traditional annual cycle and recognizes the alignment of budgets with strategic planning to identify the resources required to achieve planned outputs and outcomes. Challenges often exist despite using various budgeting tools because of a lack of technical capacity, weak data management systems (and inadequate performance data), and an overall lack of understanding of why M&E is important in budgeting.

Therefore, even if there are different tools that allow for the linkage between national plans and budgets, their implementation can vary depending on country strategies on Public Financial Management (PFM) reform. This review looks at specific strategies that can either enhance the usage of existing tools in the system like Medium-Term Budgeting, Public Expenditure Reviews or incorporate new tools like the World Bank’s readiness assessment for M&E implementation. Medium term budgeting as a PFM reform, creates an effective link between annual budgets and national priorities, while performance-based budgeting is another tool that can enable the implementation of the medium-term budgeting.2 (OECD) 

The budget process involves various actors and stakeholders, some of which are common across different countries. A standard budget process involves the Ministry of Finance as the key stakeholder, which coordinates with the rest of the government to formulate the annual budget. 

The Twende Mbele Management Committee consists of high-level M&E government officials from six country governments, and two technical partners – CLEAR AA and IDEV at the African Development Bank. Together, these partners drive the strategic activities and learning for the partnership.

After two years of working purely remotely, this workshop was the first time partners were able to come together in person to discuss the challenges presented as M&E evolves in their countries, and to update the work plan in response to the political and institutional environment.

The two-day workshop at Wits University in Johannesburg was driven by the following objectives,

• Reflect on what’s working well and what’s not for Twende Mbele

• Discuss key priorities for countries going forward, and where Twende can assist

• Agree on how partners are able to allocate time to Twende

• Finalise activity plan for linking PBM&E

Ce guide est une introduction à la réalisation d’évaluations rapides, menées en interne, en externe ou facilitée. La première partie donne un aperçu de ce qu’est une évaluation rapide et dans quelles conditions en faire l’option. La partie B utilise la structure du guide DPME sur les termes de référence et le Guide méthodologique national d’évaluation du Bénin, le Niger n’en disposant pas encore, pour introduire des aspects particuliers en relation avec l’évaluation rapide.

Ce guide vise à fournir des conseils spécifiques pour la mise en oeuvre d’évaluations rapides dans un contexte gouvernemental. Le guide a été élaboré dans le cadre de l’initiative de S&E de gouvernements africains, Twende Mbele.