Stakeholder engagement in monitoring and evaluation process and the performance of Women Enterprise Fund in North Horr Constituency, Marsabit County - Kenya

Abstract: The performance and sustainability of any business enterprise is dependent on the level of stakeholder engagement in its day-to-day management. This Paper investigated the role of Stakeholder engagement in the monitoring and evaluation process on the performance of the Women Enterprise Fund in North Horr Constituency, Marsabit County – Kenya. The study was guided by the Institutional Theory. This study used a descriptive research survey design. The study targeted a population of 280 comprising of small-scale women entrepreneurs and employees of Women Enterprise Fund. Simple random sampling was used to select 150 small scale women entrepreneurs and purposive sampling used to get 9 field staff and 3 monitoring and evaluation unit staff to form the sample size. Structured interviews and questionnaires were used in data collection. A pilot test was conducted in Saku Constituency to ensure the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed statistically with the help of SPSS version 29 while qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The outcomes of this research established the foremost vulnerabilities of the Women Enterprise Fund monitoring and evaluation process. Specifically, 70.2% of the interviewees mentioned that Women Enterprise Fund do not apply participatory monitoring and evaluation approaches, indicating a large gap in beneficiary involvement in program monitoring as well as decision-making. In addition, 71.1% reported that stakeholders are not involved in performance evaluation. Based on these findings, the study recommends the adoption of participatory monitoring and evaluation practices that involve beneficiaries and stakeholders actively to enhance the program's inclusivity and shared responsibility and sustainability. Key words: Stakeholder Engagement, Monitoring and Evaluation, Performance, Women Enterprise Fund