This research sought to investigate the moderating influence of monitoring and evaluation practices on the relationship between community empowerment and the sustainability of forest conservation projects. This study was conducted in Taita-Taveta County, located in the southern part of Kenya. Community empowerment is viewed as a process and an end where community members gain control of their lives. The empowerment practices considered were knowledge and skills empowerment, decision-making empowerment, conflict resolution empowerment and income-generating empowerment activities. The study relied on a cross-sectional survey study design. A sample of 365 respondents for quantitative data was determined using Yamane formulae. Mixed methods were used to collect and analyse data. Cluster sampling and systematic sampling were used progressively to select respondents for quantitative questions, while those for qualitative questions were selected purposively. Additional data collection methods were observation and document analysis. The study noted that projects implemented in the study area were barely sustainable, with at least 44.1% of respondents agreeing while 52.1% neither agreed nor disagreed. Regression analysis results indicated the R-square change (model 2) of 0.015, which implied that model 2 with monitoring and evaluation practices positively enhanced the influence of community empowerment activities on the sustainability of forest conservation practices by at least 1.5%. Based on the results, the study concluded that monitoring and evaluation practices enhance the sustainability of forest conservation projects with a recommendation that project designers should always include monitoring and evaluation practices in their projects.

This study investigated the inf luence of community empowerment on the sustainability of forest conservation projects in Kenya. It has been observed that many forest conservation projects cease as soon as financial support ends hence the need to investigate the phenomenon. This study was undertaken in the South-Eastern part of Kenya within Taita-Taveta County. Cross sectional survey design was used in the study. The study hypothesized that “There was no statistically significant relationship between community empowerment activities and sustainability of forest conservation projects.” It targeted 4138 household heads in five administrative locations considered as clusters in this study. Mixed research methods were used in the collection and analysis of data. A total of 365 quantitative data respondents were selected systematically, while qualitative data respondents were selected purposively. The study ascertained that at least 44.1% of respondents at least agreed that forest projects were sustainable, while 3.9% disagreed. Approximately 52% of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed that forest conservation projects were sustainable. Regression analysis showed F-ratio values of F (4,360) = 66.438; p < 0.05. The null hypothesis was therefore rejected. The study also ascertained that community empowerment influenced the sustainability of forest conservation projects. The researcher recommended that community empowerment activities be factored into future projects during the design stage to bolster sustainability.

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