ASSESSMENT OF BENEFICIARY PARTICIPATION IN MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE KIWALANI COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY PROJECT IN ILALA DISTRICT, TANZANIA

The extent of beneficiary participation in Monitoring and Evaluation is critical in determining the performance of community projects. However, beneficiary participation in Monitoring and Evaluation of such projects is largely an area that is not comprehensively addressed in project management research. The Kiwalani water Supply project in Ilala district, Tanzania has been poorly performing since its establishment in 2002. The maintenance and performance of a community project like this one, depends on local involvement in participatory monitoring and evaluation practices. This study assessed beneficiary participation in Monitoring and Evaluation of the Kiwalani Water Supply Project in Ilala, Tanzania. The study addressed three research objectives, which are; one, mapping key stakeholders in planning and implementation of the Kiwalani Water supply Project; two examining mechanisms of beneficiary’ participation in Monitoring and Evaluation; and three evaluating beneficiary’ perceptions of the performance of the water supply project. The study adopted an exploratory case study design which embraced a qualitative research approach. The methods of data collection were; in-depth interviews, focused group discussions and documentary review. The Data analysis protocol was based on content analysis. The findings show that the project has been somewhat successful but local participation in monitoring and evaluation process was very minimal. That the study noted that community concerns such as absence of clear mechanisms to increase involvement of committee members in Monitoring and Evaluation. However, limited knowledge on monitoring and evaluation process and better project management practice from the beneficiaries has been the main hindrance..The study recommends that training opportunity on Monitoring and Evaluation should be given priority so as to build capacity and enhance participation to projects implementers and achieve desired success. The study also recommends beneficiaries should be provided with timely needed knowledge and skills on Monitoring and Evaluation for sustainable management of their water supply project.