Humanitarian Financing - Kenya. Mission & Meeting Report. March SIDA OCHA Mission to Eldoret 9 March

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1 Humanitarian Financing - Kenya Mission & Meeting Report March SIDA OCHA Mission to Eldoret 9 March At the request of SIDA representative Elizabeth Narrowe, IOM hosted SIDA and OCHA on a one-day mission to Eldoret. The objective of the mission was to understand the protection concerns on the ground ahead of the planned General Elections in 2012/2013 and given that Eldoret (Rift Valley Province) was the epicenter of the Post Election Violence in 2007/2008. SIDA made reference to the Kenya Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan and requested for additional information on how the Protection sector has included information on preparedness plans ahead of the elections in the appeal document. IOM organized a visit to shelters that were built for displaced populations using CERF funds that were leveraged with additional funding from the Government of Japan and the African Development Bank. Ms. Narrowe interacted with the shelter beneficiaries and emphasized on the need to maintain and spread the message of Peace before, during and after the upcoming elections. IOM also convened a meeting with members of the Protection Working Group (PWG) in Eldoret. The meeting was chaired by the Regional Commissioner, Mr. Wanyama. The Commissioner briefed the meeting with a history of elections in Kenya and assured participants that Peace and Reconciliation was high on the agenda of the PWG. The Commissioner assured participants that the proposed devolved Government structure is not likely to bring major challenges aside from minor teething problems. In an effort to prioritize peace in the region the Commissioner informed participants that county peace conferences were planned to take place and which will culminate in a National Peace Conference led by the President ahead of the General elections. The theme of the peace conference is, Peaceful Elections. The Commissioner urged donors to provide support to key peace ambassadors who include: the Youth; the Elders and Women. 2a. Donor mission to Kitui (South Eastern Kenya) 13 March OCHA organized a donor mission to Kitui 1. The objective of the mission was to provide donors an opportunity to see firsthand the contribution ERF funds have made in responding to humanitarian needs on the ground and value-added of the ERF. Summary of ERF project visited in Kitui LLLLLLLLL Improved indigenous poultry ready for distribution to beneficiaries. Cyclical disasters have contributed towards undermining the community s resilience and increasing community s vulnerability as they lose their livelihoods and livelihoods assets year after year. Livestock is one of the major livelihood assets for the people of Kitui/Makueni. With Support from UNOCHA managed ERF funds, Vetworks Eastern Africa is supporting the local community build resilience against future disasters. The interventions under this project focus on protection and rebuilding of livestock assets. Key activities under this project are: Animal health intervention aimed at protecting the Credit: Mathew Conway-OCHA 1 Detailed names of mission participants is found in Annex 1. of the Report.

2 Kenya Humanitarian Financing 2 livestock assets (Vaccination, Vector control, disease surveillance and deworming); and Supplementary feeding aimed at rebuilding and protecting the livestock assets. ERF Project locations are Mutito, Mutomo, Lower Yatta, in Kitui County and Kathonzweni, Nzaui, Kibwezi in Makueni County. The project targets 20,000 households. The project is funded to the tune of US$ 147,232. Activities achieved The project commenced in January 2012 and key activities ongoing include: community sensitization and mobilization, household survey and procurement of the project inputs. Of note is the complimentarilty of this ERF project with other funding sources and agency interventions. Currently the project is implemented alongside other complementary livestock interventions funded by FAO Kenya (with funding channeled through the Kenya EHRP/CAP). The poultry restocking project focuses on rebuilding of livestock assets of among the vulnerable sectors of the community. Poultry restocking aims at distributing 12,500 local improved indigenous birds to 2500 households in 12 other districts in Kitui and Makueni by 30th March SIDA representative Elizabeth Narrowe hands over improved indigenous chicken to beneficiary. Credit: Zach Atozo-OCHA Key Implementing partners for this project include: District Steering Group, Ministry of livestock development, Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, Provincial administration and private livestock services providers. 2b. Donor mission to Mwingi (South eastern Kenya) - 14 March FAO hosted OCHA and donors to view a EHRP/CAP implemented project in Mwingi. The title of the project is, Improve livelihoods in targeted drought affected communities in Kenya. SIDA contribution to the projects was $ 1,440,000. The overall objective of the project is to improve the livelihoods, food and income security of vulnerable households frequently affected by drought in the larger Mwingi district by establishing food security information and early warning systems, increasing resilience of vulnerable households and access to HIV services to mitigate its impact on already overstrained communities. Sand dam constructed through voucher for work activity. Credit: Mathew Conway- OCHA Main achievements of the project includes: i) Food security and early warning systems established in target districts. This includes 255 NGO and government staff trained on information gathering and management of early warning systems; ii) Resilience of vulnerable communities increase. This includes 10 sand dam structures constructed through voucher for work ; iii) Access to HIV services among the targeted agro-pastoralist communities increased. This includes 12,000 community members reached with nutrition care practices through field day demonstrations. It was noted among the key recommendations of the project was to upscale it to cover the larger Mwingi.

3 Kenya Humanitarian Financing 3 2C. Review of the application of the GenderMarker in the EHRP and ERF monitored projects The Gender Advisor, Njoki Kinyanjui reviewed the application of Gender in the monitored projects in Kitui and Mwingi. To enable capturing of gendered perspectives, the ERF monitoring template had been reviewed previously and the various sections strengthened to correct more information that served as benchmarks for integration of gender in the implementation of EHRP and ERF projects. The donor mission served as a forum to use the reviewed tool to gauge the practicality and usability. The various projects in the two districts (Mwingi and Kitui) that were under focus had all made an appreciable effort in incorporating gender perspectives particularly in the selection of target groups (targeting female headed households; the participation and involvement of both men and women in the implementation of the projects (more women seemed engaged in the projects at both sites in Kitui and Mwingi than men) and in the overall strategies that were used in community mobilization. The following are some of the areas that would be necessary for the project implementers to further strengthen the projects: 1. Inclusion of capacity building activities on rights and leadership skills (particularly to the project committees) during the implementation and linkages to existing structures, e.g. to the gender and social affairs offices that could continuously support capacity building of community groups even after the exit of the implementing partners for sustainability. This not only serves to strengthen women s representation in decision making project committees; which was identified as a gap area to focus on; but also builds the confidence in leadership thereby enhancing participation in project planning and implementation, a critical aspect in good programming. 2. Training of implementing partners (FAO s implementing partners) and (the beneficiaries-during implementation) on Gender, GBV and SEA in humanitarian programming, including provision and development of easy to use tools and the Gender Marker to guide implementation Follow up Actions on application of the Gender Marker The ERF Manager Luluwa Ali and the Gender Advisor Njoki Kinyanjui will be undertaking the following actions related to the application of the Gender Marker in Pooled Funds: 1. Finalization of the review of the ERF monitoring template 2. Training of ERF partners on the Gender Marker and other easy to use tools that will enhance the identification and better articulation of processes and methodologies that impact on the overall integration of gender. Efforts to advocate for commitment to gender by the humanitarian stakeholders (implementing partners and donors) through consistent engagement in donor fora and the humanitarian platforms. (Njoki through OCHA coordination forums, including donor forums). 3. Increased involvement of cross cutting thematic focal points in monitoring missions to further identify issues on the ground to enhance support to the humanitarian partners and document progress and good practice. 3. ERF Stakeholders Consultation Meeting 15 March, 2012 The ERF Stakeholders consultation meeting took place on 15 March. The meeting was chaired by the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Aeneas Chuma. Participants to the meeting included: donors, ERF beneficiary agencies, members of the ERF Technical Review Board and the Gender Advisor.

4 Kenya Humanitarian Financing 4 The objective of the meeting was to: a) engage donors and the ERF beneficiary agencies on the ERF processes; b) receive a de-brief on the donor mission to the field ( Kitui and Mwingi -south eastern Kenya) to visit ERF and EHRP (CAP) implemented projects. Introduction - The Humanitarian Coordinator provided an overview of the Emergency Response Fund in Kenya that was established in June Since 2009, the ERF has received a total of $ 6.3 million funding contributions from Sweden, Swiss (SDC), DFID and Norway. To date, the ERF has provided support to a range of emergency profiles including drought and floods, urban food insecurity and displacement. Funding allocations amounting to $ 5,503,780 to 42 projects have been channeled to various sectors that include: Agriculture & Livestock/Food security; Early Recovery; Health and Nutrition; Water and Sanitation and Protection. It was noted that in 2011, the ERF proved more strategic in its funding approach by providing specific funding envelopes to prioritized needs. Three distinct allocations were made i.e. i) when the crisis was unfolding in early 2011 to respond to acute emergency needs in specific geographic zones and sectors; ii) as the crisis intensified funding support was targeted to under-served and high-risk geographic areas; and iii) and at the tail end of the crisis, funding was channeled to under-resourced sectors. Mr. Chuma thanked donors for their support to the Fund. In addition, he noted that the target for 2012 was to increase the size of the Fund from $ 2 Million to $ 4 Million. In this regard, donor support is critical to meet the funding target in order to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian response through flexible, timely and predictable funding for rapid onset emergencies at the country level and to promote early action to mitigate the effects of emerging crises. The HC noted achievements in strengthening the Governance structure of the Fund. This includes maintaining an active participation of the Technical Review Board and the recent (8 March) constitution of the ERF Advisory Board. Technical review board (TRB): The TRB is responsible for making the final selection of projects on the basis of the initial screening and recommendations made by the sector working groups. The TRB consists of representatives from Save the Children, Concern, World Vision and CRS. The group is currently chaired by CRS. Advisory Board (AB): ERF governance structures include provision of an advisory group comprised of key stakeholders. The Advisory group has recently been constituted. Representation in the Board includes: SIDA; Swiss (SDC); WFP; UNICEF; Kenya Red Cross and CARE International. The application of the IASC Gender Marker in the Kenya ERF is being rolled out in The deployment of a Gender Advisor in Kenya and hosted by UN women is expected to leverage support from the donors on gender in humanitarian action programming, particularly the application of the IASC Gender Marker. Summary of ERF beneficiary agencies feedback on the Kenya ERF a) Early donor funding to the ERF has enabled early response to the unfolding drought crisis in the country. b) The OCHA Country Office administration of the Fund has substantially improved. Disbursement of the first installment (80%) of funds to organizations has been effective. However, the process of procurement of auditors through UNDP delays the receipt of the remaining 20% disbursements to organizations which impacts on the organization s resource flows, particularly for small local NGOs. OCHA is addressing this through the engagement of a long term solution for the audit of ERF projects. OCHA has requested UNDP to initiate the process for a Long Term Agreement (LTA) with an audit firm for 3 years. This means that OCHA will be able to directly engage the same audit firm as UNDP within the next 12 months without having to go through a regular competitive procurement process (direct contracting). This arrangement is expected to circumvent the delays in disbursing the

5 Kenya Humanitarian Financing 5 remaining 20% of approved ERF funds to organizations. The OCHA Country Office is currently in discussions with the OCHA Administrative Services Branch (ASB) in Geneva to finalize this process. c) Project ceiling of $150,000 was considered too low and limiting for some larger NGOs It was noted that the modest project ceiling was tied to the size of the Fund. Consideration may be given to increase the project ceiling should the size of the Fund also increase to the target of $ 4 million in Summary of Donor Feedback on the ERF d) DIFID representative from London Abigail Perry- noted the need to better profile the added value of the Kenya ERF. The current responses through the ERF should also be balanced against wider efforts in Kenya to address drought-related crises through longer term, more predictable funding mechanisms. e) It was noted that enhanced Monitoring and Reporting is important. DFID acknowledged the constraints to this due to the small size of the Fund; however it was noted that this activity remains important to enable donors justify directing money to pooled funds. OCHA informed participants that priorities for 2012 for the ERF included developing monitoring capacity for ERF projects within the offices existing capacity. It was noted that OCHA does not have an exclusive budget for undertaking field monitoring. However in 2012 the office is aiming to increase the frequency of its field visits to ERF funded projects and to put in place other monitoring mechanisms such as telephone interviews where field visits are not possible. OCHA's increased field presence in April in Dadaab, Lodwar and in upper Eastern is expected to facilitate this process. f) DFID stressed that the ERF prioritisation process undertaken should aim to meet the overall objectives of the ERF. g) SIDA (Sweden) representative from Stockholm Elizabeth Narrowe- thanked OCHA, FAO and IOM for the excellent support in organizing her mission to Nairobi and the field (Eldoret on 9 March organiesd by OCHA and IOM) and Kitui and Mwingi on March (organized by OCHA and FAO). OCHA noted the participation of several other donors in the field visit that included: SDC-Switzerland; Netherlands, France and Italy. h) SIDA noted the importance of incorporating resilience building activities within ERF and CAP projects and moving forward to demonstrate the sustainability of these projects by linking them with Government development structures. SIDA appreciated OCHAs role in sharing information on the drought situation in Kenya in 2010 and 2011 that informed funding decisions. i) SDC-Switzerland representative at the meeting Andrea Siclari- appreciated the work of the ERF and noted the improved administrative functions of the Fund, notably the rapid disbursement of the first installment of funds to NGOs. 4. OCHA meeting with New Zealand representative 16 March, 2012 In addition to the one on one meeting held with the DFID and SIDA representatives and the Head of Kenya Coordination, Patrick Lavand Homme, the OCHA Eastern Africa Deputy Head of Office, Gabriella Waaijman and ERF Manager, Luluwa Ali met with the Development Manager of the New Zealand Aid Programme, Ms. Jenny Wells. The meeting focused on updating Ms. Wells on the current humanitarian context in Kenya and the region as well as the various humanitarian funding mechanisms including the ERF that are managed by OCHA in Kenya. Ms. Wells noted New Zealand s interest in boosting funding to NGOs. She noted that resilience building is very much on New Zealand s humanitarian agenda. Ms. Wells encouraged OCHA to help agencies send out messages on the impending drought. OCHA welcomed Ms. Wells to further contact the Office for any additional information For further information, please contact: Luluwa Ali, Humanitarian Affairs Officer-Humanitarian Financing, ali19@un.org, Tel

6 Humanitarian Financing Kenya Humanitarian Financing 6 Kenya Annex 1. Donor Mission participants List for Eldoret, Kitui and Mwingi OCHA Eastern Africa 1. Luluwa Ali Humanitarian Affairs Officer Humanitarian Financing 2. Mathew Conway Snr. Public Information Officer FAO Kenya 3. Daniel Irura National Livestock Officer 4. Charles Oranga - Food Security, Gender and HIV and AIDS Officer 5. Jordan Ramacciato Liaison Officer IOM 6. Fatma Said - Emergency & Post Crisis Unit (EPC) 7. Laura Jones - Emergency & Post Crisis Unit (EPC) UNWomen/GenCAP 8. Njoki Kinyanjui Gender Advisor -Kenya Donors 9. David Muller - SDC Programme Assistant Kenya & Somalia - Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) 10. Elizabeth Narrowe Programme Officer Humanitarian Team Swedish International Development Co-Operation (SIDA) 11. Nicholas Ngece - Programme Manager: Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources - SIDA 12. Michelle de Rijck Policy Intern Embassy of Netherlands 13. Tiziana Fusco UN Fellow - Development Cooperation Office - Embassy of Italy 14. Alexandre Malaquin Intern Political Section French Embassy External Donors Abigail Perry Humanitarian Adviser Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Policy Team Conflict, Humanitarian Affairs and Security Dept (CHASE) Department for International Development (DFID) Jenny Wells Development Manager - Complex Emergencies Humanitarian and Disaster Management Team New Zealand Aid Programme