Kenya

Robert Palmer on Mission in Kenya 3-9 December 2005 , from UNV headquarters Bonn

Programme specialist, Robert Palmer was in Kenya on mission from the UN Volunteers Headquarters (Bonn).The December 2005 UNVHQ mission to Kenya was undertaken to monitor the UNV Country Programme, interact with UNVs. Partners (both UN, government and the civil society organizations), and participate in activities to celebrate the International Volunteers. The mission was also to look closely at the rapidly expanding programme and discuss with UNDP, how we can both support the UNV Country Office Team to effectively and efficiently support the programme.

In this regard, several meetings were held with various key decision makers, a half day mini workshop was held with UNVs (some 120) to present the Global UNV Programme: its evolution, trend and future direction and how the organization is positioning itself to carry out its mandate of supporting sustainable development through the promotion of volunteerism including the mobilization of volunteers. A half day field visit to the district of Maragua (a two and half hours drive from Nairobi) was undertaken to get a first hand assessment of the work being done by the UNVs attached to the Central Kenya Dry Area Smallholder and Community Services Development Project (CKDAP).

Meetings with UNDP Senior Management - Resident Representative, Deputy Resident Representatives (Operations and Programme)

The UNV programme in Kenya enjoys the total support of the UNDP Senior management. The programme is fully integrated in the Country Office configuration, and gets maximum oversight and guidance. Currently with a number of 139 UNVs serving, Kenya represents the largest country portfolio in the Africa Geographic region. It is important to mention that UNV is a critical delivery mechanism of the UNDP country programme. UNVs are assigned to key government ministries and offices to perform substantive and strategic functions. For instance, UNVs are assigned to the Office of the President to coordinate and monitor poverty and e-governance activities, are with the Ministry of Planning and National Development to develop and monitor economic plans including the PRSP and are also assigned to the NEPAD Secretariat. Others are with Kenya Federation of Employers, working on HIV/AIDS at the workplace issues, with the National AIDS Secretariat, just to mention a few. As one senior UNDP Official puts it, ' UNVs are our foot soldiers, without them we could not have achieved the many things we can boast of today - we can show many tangible things that have been achieved.

The Resident Representative sees a lot more potential for UNV in the country and urges that we reach out to more UN Agencies within Kenya. There is a strong UN Coordination mechanism in Kenya: some 17 UN Agencies collaborate in joint programming (tapping on each others strengths) to implement/monitor the MDGs, PRSP and Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS). Already, UNVs are the main delivery mechanism for such interventions as being demonstrated by the United Nations Volunteers Intermediary Strategy (UNVIS) and the Districts capacity building programmes. The UNVIS, which coordinates UN agencies programmes at the district level, utilises UNVs as focal points in developing indicators for the Monitoring & Evaluation and guidance of the process of Government Reform programme at the district level. The UNVs act as intermediaries facilitating dialogue and information sharing between civil society, the district administration and the central government level, the UN Agencies and other development partners. The UNVs further provide access to strategic resources, mainly information (on opportunities, funding sources, policies - and their linkages to the ERS, MDGs, PRSP, NDP and DDP.

Apart from the two Initiatives (KARA and CEMIRIDE) that are funded under the MDG Small Grant Facility, so far, UNV does not have any major programme in the country that it funds from its resources. There exist many areas of interest and opportunities that are in line with the Africa Section Strategy on which bases programmes and projects could be designed. For example, UNDP is supporting some activities on conflict resolution among pastoralists in one of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) Districts. Another area could be working with youths in Urban Development. HABITAT is already working in this area and has expressed interest in collaborating with other UN Agencies.

One way of approaching or exploring these potentials might be to carry out a country review of the UNV Programme (one has not been done for the past 10 years) by independent consultants, determine areas of relevance and growth which are in line with the government's plan, the UNDAF and the Africa Section strategy. In line with this, given that the donor community is visibly represented in the country, the potentials for mobilising resources locally could also be explored with the guidance of the UNDP Country office. Such a review should be undertaken within the first half of 2006.Click here to read more....