The implementation of the Kenya National AIDS Strategic plan (KNASP) was guided by the national AIDS Control Council’s (NACC) goals, visions, and targets. While the KNASP II has been implemented successfully, various challenges were experienced in this process, especially with regard to HIV information. Various assessments conducted by stakeholders reveal similar inadequacies in monitoring and evaluation of HIV activities. among the key challenges noted have been the lack of guidelines for conducting HIV M&e activities, existence of parallel data collection and reporting systems which do not seem to interact with each other, minimal provision of feedback to decentralized levels on data reported which has led to
little use of data in program improvement. Further, the lack of clear guidelines and standard operating procedures for fundamental M&e activities was a major impediment to the production of quality data that could be analyzed to produce relevant information for program improvement.
it is with this in mind that the National Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures: Pillar 1 were developed. Through a highly consultative process that included representatives from GoK (NCC, NASCOP, HIS, DlTlD, NBTS, NHRL, KMTC, KNH, Moi University), development partners (CDC, USAID and UNDP) and implementing partners (afriafya, AIDS relief, AMPATH, AMREF, BAARA, Danya international, FHI, Futures Group, HS2020, ICAP, ICF Macro, ITECH, JHPIEGO, lVCT) with a diverse range of participants including Community Health Workers, nurses, HRIOs, DHMT and pHMT members, program and M&e officers and advisers, the national Monitoring and evaluation Guidelines and Standard operating procedures represent the collective M&e knowledge and information from all sectors that are pertinent
to the current situation in Kenya. Using relevant GoK documents as the basis for the development, this document provides linkages with other agencies and expounds on the information that is currently within the domain of the user.
By clearly articulating the M&e roles and responsibilities of each individual, the document reduces ambiguity and allows all stakeholders to interact harmoniously. Further, Sops provide step-by-step information on how to carry out each activity, with additional M&e capacity building conducted
through the national Curriculum for Monitoring and evaluation of HIV response in Kenya. Successful implementation of the national M&e guidelines is expected to provide more accurate, complete and timely HIV data that will be used at all levels, from the community to the national level, to inform better HIV program response leading to better outcomes for Kenya.