The Essence of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for Good Governance of Catholic Institutions in Zambia

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are a process that involves collecting and analysing data to measure progress toward achieving specific goals and objectives. This process helps organisations to identify what is working and what is not and to make informed decisions on how to improve their programs and projects. This paper focuses on the necessity of M&E in Catholic institutions in Zambia, Lusaka in particular. It underscores the fact that there is no good governance in these institutions due to inadequate M&E mechanisms. The only means of M&E are meetings. The research was done in Lusaka District and some parts of Central Province. It was conducted in 7 institutions. The sample size was 257. There were 252 questionnaires which were administered purposively and randomly to those in the first line, middle and top leadership, and management positions, and 5 in-depth interviews were carried out purposively. It identifies the causes of poor governance as inadequate results-based M&E systems, deficient focus on Key Result Areas (KRAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and irregular monitoring of institutional activities. The recommendations were that there was need to build capacity in the areas of performance management, stewardship approach to management (good governance), and to enhance M&E systems. Theoretically, the results can be generalised to all Catholic institutions in Zambia. Keywords: Catholic Institutions, Good Governance, Key Performance Indicators, Key Result Areas Monitoring and Evaluation, Stewardship.