Kenya | < Sub-Saharan Africa

See also:
- Egerton College Expansion
- Evaluation of Kenyan National Agricultural Research Project (NARP)


FORREMS Program and KCMP Mid-term Evaluation
Funding source: USAID

Under the EPIQ II IQC, evaluation staff conducted a mid-term review (MTR) of USAID
Kenya’s Forestry and Coastal Programs. The review focused on two of USAID/Kenya’s
three natural resource management (NRM) program sub-sectors, namely the Forestry
Range Rehabilitation and Environmental Management Strengthening (FORREMS)
program (2003-2008) and the Kenya Coastal Management Program (KCMP, 2004-2007).
The programs are being implemented through nine different grant agreements.

The scope of work for this assignment called for a ‘robust review’ of FORREMS
and KCMP activities focusing on six project elements. Implementation of these
activities has involved a partnership among government agencies and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working closely with community-based
organizations (CBOs) to address economic, policy, cultural and human resource
capacity challenges of conserving biologically diverse areas within Kenya.

The review team identified a number of priority issues:

• Inadequate level of devolution of authority to CBOs necessary to achieve
  the biodiversity conservation and joint management objectives desired.
• Need for strategic approach to bring stakeholders of specific landscape
  systems together for common conservation and management goals.
• System structures for program management, grants administration and
  oversight impede effective implementation. Specifically, existing systems
  delay field-based implementation and hinder the development of
  harmonized work plans and empowerment of community members who
  are most directly linked to the natural resources needing protection and
  improved management.
  
• Independence has not been sufficiently fostered in nature-based
  enterprises (NBEs) and CBOs. Government of Kenya and NGO partners
  have been involved on a long-term basis supporting the development of
  these organizations and have not developed the clear exit strategies that
  would require establishing this independence.
• Need to revise indicators for better monitoring of results and
  impact assessments.