UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

KENYA:

ASSESSMENT OF SUPPORT AND CAPACITY

NEEDS TO STRENGTHEN NATIONAL MDG
INITIATIVES

by

John Thinguri Mukui

1 July 2004

Report prepared for the United Nations Development Programme and the
Government of the Republic of Kenya
A

KENYA: ASSESSMENT OF SUPPORT AND CAPACITY NEEDS TO STRENGTHEN

NATIONAL MDG INITIATIVES
1.
1.1

BACKGROUND

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

In September 2000 the heads of states of 147 countries made a commitment to create a world with
a better future free from social and development evils. This commitment has goals, targets and
indicators that are collectively referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
To facilitate the MDG campaign in Central and Eastern Africa, an MDG Forum was held in Addis
Ababa in June 2002 involving 14 Central and Eastern Africa (CEA) member countries (United
Nations Development Programme, 2002). In this forum, it was reported that most of these
countries are unlikely to attain the selected goals by the year 2015, unless rigorous measures are
taken. The forum identified some of the major challenges and opportunities and made
recommendations for country-specific action plans focusing on four priority areas: national
campaign, harmonizing MDGs with national strategies, financing MDGs, and monitoring progress
towards MDGs. To support national initiatives, the UNDPs Central and Eastern Africa SubRegional Resource Facility (CEA-SURF) plans to develop a regional support programme for the 14
countries.
The general objectives of this initiative are to contribute to and enhance national capacities and
opportunities for accelerating progress towards achieving the MDGs. It is envisaged that these
objectives will be achieved through strengthening national advocacy campaigns, policy
implementation, and developing and implementing monitoring programmes.
1.2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study was mainly based on interviews with key resource persons in the United Nations
system in Nairobi, a number of civil society organizations that were involved in spearheading the
MDG campaign in Kenya, and the Central Bureau of Statistics. ActionAid-Kenya was the lead
nongovernmental organization (NGO) in the civil society MDG campaign, in partnership with the
UN Resident Coordinator Secretariat, and offered useful insights on a workable action plan for
civil society participation. The paper benefited greatly from interviews with key persons in the
Ministry of Planning and National Development, which is in charge of the MDG coordination,
campaign and research on behalf of the Government.
The paper traces the process the MDG campaign has taken, analyses the current status, and
proposes a tentative action plan that incorporates both the Government, civil society
organizations, and the United Nations agencies in Nairobi.
2.

DOMESTICATION OF THE UNDP DEVELOPMENT AGENDA IN KENYA

In the recent past, Kenyas involvement in the UNDP development agenda was through national
human development reports (NHDR). The first NHDR was published in 1999 although its
preparation started in late 1996. The first NHDR looked at Kenyas development over the previous
decade, focusing on economic performance, governance, poverty (including its gender and spatial

dimensions), and past and ongoing poverty reduction initiatives. The report had detailed analysis
of gender, education and health. The 1999 NHDR proposed a way forward in terms of policy and
data needs to measure various dimensions of human deprivation (the human development
indicators).
Since then, two national human development reports have been published focusing on different
themes. The preparatory process of an NHDR includes an inter-ministerial technical working
group drawn from a number of ministries. The technical working group provides an oversight
role, and assists in validating information (during the preparation of the report), and in
internalization of the findings into Governments planning processes.
The preparation of the first report on Kenyas scorecard in the achievement of the millennium
development goals was started in late 2002. The technical working group (TWG) consisted of
persons from key ministries, and included private sector and civil society representatives. The
TWG used to meet twice a month to review progress. When the new Government came to power
in January 2003, a meeting was organized in Treasury by the Ministry of Planning and National
Development to present the findings as a key plank in charting the way forward in creating a new
blueprint for Kenyas economic reconstruction and recovery.
The new government embarked on preparing the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and
Employment Creation (popularly known as ERS). A stakeholders workshop held in February
2003 to recommend on appropriate monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanism for the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the draft ERS included the draft MDG report as one of the
background documents. The draft MDG report thus assisted in setting development targets, in
designing a set of appropriate indicators, and the setting up of an institutional mechanism to
measure progress. The draft MDG report therefore benefited from ideas and concerns raised in a
variety of forums. In addition, the second United Nations Development Assistance Framework
(UNDAF) for Kenya was launched soon after the Government launched the ERS, and both policy
documents share similar vision and agenda for Kenyas political and socioeconomic development.
3.

DOMESTICATING THE MDG AGENDA IN KENYA

The first major activity in domesticating the MDG agenda was a technical workshop held in
September 2002 to serve as a platform for sensitization, sharing of experiences, and renewing of
commitments for immediate and medium-term actions related to MDGs in Kenya. The theme of
the workshop was Campaigning for Action: Monitoring and Reporting on the MDGs in Kenya.
The workshop was addressed by senior managers of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, UNDP,
and civil society organizations (e.g. ActionAid-Kenya). The workshop made recommendations on
linking the MDGs to national planning frameworks; monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for
MDGs; costing and financing of the MDGs; and campaign/mobilization of stakeholders. The
workshop resolved that a consultant be hired to prepare Kenyas progress report in achieving the
MDG targets, and a committee be formed to spearhead the preparation of the MDG report for
Kenya. The membership of the committee comprised the PRSP/MTEF Secretariat, representative
of civil society organizations (ActionAid-Kenya), UNDP, Private Sector Forum, donor
community, and a public sector representative (from the Ministry of Health).
In December 2002, the MDG secretariat prepared a work plan for advancing the MDGs campaign
in Kenya, covering outcomes to be achieved in 2003, planned activities to reach outcomes,

timeframe, partnerships, and budget. The main themes in support to national efforts to achieve
the MDGs were advocacy among all stakeholders; monitoring, evaluation and reporting on
MDGs; analysis, costing and resource mobilization and allocation with regard to MDGs; and the
knowledge base on MDGs including linkages to national planning processes.
The second national workshop took place in February 2003 to discuss and agree on a national
monitoring and evaluation framework for the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and a reporting
system for the MDGs. The draft MDG report for Kenya was one of the background papers for the
workshop. The PRSP/MDG M&E workshop discussed institutional framework for M&E,
developing and building on capacity for monitoring and evaluation, requisite indicators, and
information technology infrastructure for M&E. The workshop concluded that the MDGs should
not be treated as new layer in the M&E, but should be internalized into the proposed M&E
process. The third technical workshop was held in April 2003 to discuss the draft MDGs report on
Kenya, and provided a forum for key stakeholders to discuss and validate the data and findings of
the draft report before its finalization.
In addition, UNDP in 2003 funded the preparation of two studies: a preliminary study on the cost
of achieving the millennium development goals, and a short paper on the implications of
international trade restrictions on Kenya. The costing study covered the first seven goals. The first
seven goals focus on outcomes, identifying standards of wellbeing to be achieved within the next
15 years and concern both the nature of the lives individuals lead and the environment in which
they live (Gore, 2003). Goal 8 focuses on relationships, and identifies various aspects of the global
partnership for development that should be forged to support the realization of these standards.
The second study mainly focused on the cost to Kenya due to agricultural subsidies and other
restrictions on market access to the rich countries (Mukui, 2003).
4.

THE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS CAMPAIGN ON MDGs

One of the most significant transformations in Kenyas development during recent years has been
the explosion in numbers, diversity, and roles of civil society groups. The importance of civil
society organizations (CSOs) to the development effort has been reinforced by the new emphasis
on national ownership, downward accountability, good governance, democratization of
development cooperation and improved quality of development assistance, and poverty-focus of
official development programmes.
The UN country team in Kenya has partnered with NGOs and CSOs around monitoring the
MDGs. It was found prudent to partner with the civil society because they have a potentially
huge contribution to make towards achievement of the MDGs, as many of them are already
working concertedly towards achieving social justice and national development.
The purpose of the civil society campaign on the MDGs is to create a broad-based mobilization
and bottom-up demand for concrete action on the MDGs. The campaign seeks to build a national
coalition of CSO actors, to place the MDGs at the center of national debates and action in terms of
priorities, policies and resource allocations. More importantly, it strives to build and sustain
public awareness and monitoring of progress on the specific goals and targets. Since its inception
in 2002, the campaign has concentrated on raising awareness among CSOs about the MDGs and
how they link with the existing development priorities and policy choices. A series of meetings
have since been convened for that purpose.

The CSO campaign on the MDGs comprises four core elements:

Campaigning and mobilization: Raising awareness and galvanizing public opinion in

support of action on the MDG priorities, policies and resources.
Monitoring: Systematic and sustained tracking and review of progress towards the MDGs
in terms of achievements, trends and shortfalls. This entails generation of authoritative
data, disaggregated, whenever possible, by gender, age, and specific vulnerabilities, so as
to inform subsequent progress reports at the country level, and also inform the national
and global level campaigns.
Analysis: Definition and assessment of the policy dimensions of achieving the MDGs. This
is based on consensus among partners on necessary policy and institutional reforms and
investments, and financing options and strategies for steering towards the attainment of
the various targets. It is hoped that such analysis will shift public policy dialogue from
aspiration to realization of the various development goals.
Strengthening partnerships with key development actors at the national and international
levels, and to influence global processes to support the realization of MDGs

In Kenya, the partnership has been with ActionAid-Kenya as the lead agency. The campaign has
been able to reach about 40 CSOs through thematic and regional networks hosted by the lead
agency and the National Council of NGOs. The CSOs were involved in the process of producing
the first MDG report for Kenya, as members of the task force at the PRSP secretariat charged with
the responsibility of leading the process of monitoring and reporting on MDGs. The civil society
identified a lead agency for each millennium development goal, based on the CSOs existing
involvement on issues related to the specific goal.
ActionAid-Kenya, with support from the UN Resident Coordinator Secretariat, prepared action
plans on how to move the campaign to the local levels using the thematic and regional networks,
which covered policy advocacy and awareness raising; strengthening monitoring, evaluation and
reporting; strengthening analysis, costing and resource allocation; and expanding the MDGs
knowledge base, and linkage to national planning frameworks.
This campaign was successfully launched in October 2003 in Huruma, Nairobi, as a collaborative
effort between ActionAid-Kenya and the UN Resident Coordinator Secretariat. The effort
brought together over 40 civil society organizations working in the different thematic areas
represented in the eight goals. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Planning and National
Development, officially launched the CSOs campaign. The launch was preceded by a cleanup
exercise in the residential estates around the venue in which about 200 people were involved and
many more reached with the MDG messages through pamphlets distributed during the cleanup
exercise.
There were sub-launches in Mwingi in Eastern province, Maralal in Rift Valley province and
Kakamega in Western province. The sub-launches were held on the same day as the main launch
in Nairobi, and were coordinated by CSOs involved in the campaign and based in those regions.
The launch in Rift Valley province was coordinated by Northern NGO Forum and included a
camel derby race at Maralal town; Eastern province was coordinated by Genesis (a local NGO)
and included a cycling race in Mwingi town; and Western province was coordinated by Elimu
Yetu Coalition and included a cycling race at Kakamega town. The launch received coverage in all

TV stations (KBC, Nation, KTN and Citizen), print media (Nation, Standard, Kenya Times and
The People) and radio stations.
Some of the lessons learned include:

CSOs, such as churches and community organizations, have extensive grassroots reach
and thus close connection with communities. They therefore have the potential to engage
large numbers of people and raise awareness about key development issues.
CSOs play a key role in advancing ownership of MDGs and integrating them into the local
context. Because CSOs are in direct contact with the people, they help in adapting MDGs
to the reality of local peoples experience of poverty.
CSOs such as churches or community-based organizations have the most in-depth local
knowledge and can therefore contribute to conceptualizing and informing the MDGs with
local realities and views of the poor people themselves.
MDGs must be part of the governments policies and budgets and CSOs can hold their
governments to account on this, specifically by using the PRSP to mainstream the MDGs.
CSOs can make a valuable contribution to information gathering, analysis and advocacy
using the results of research. They are able to have information on specific goals for
specific areas because of their focus.

However, there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed. First, the thematic and
regional networks are informal groupings and this makes follow-up a bit difficult. Secondly,
dealing with such a large numbers of actors slows down the pace because it takes long to build
consensus, which is essential for the ownership of the process. Thirdly, it was initially difficult to
build consensus and to get the CSOs to work together with the United Nations agencies and the
government because some CSOs felt this was essentially a UN agenda. However, after a round of
consultations this was ironed out.
Fourthly, the mistrust between CSOs and government is an issue. Some CSOs did not trust the
Government and initially expressed the feeling that there should be a shadow MDG national
report, but later agreed to a joint report. Currently, there is poor integration of the civil society
into the planning process, and access to information is still a big challenge because of some
colonial relics (e.g. The Official Secrets Act, Cap 187 of the Laws of Kenya) that hinder flow of
information from the public sector. The other major challenge has been lack of staff to follow
through on the CSOs campaign on a fulltime basis. The lead CSOs (ActionAid-Kenya and NGO
Council) have other engagements and this just becomes overwhelming.
Despite all the challenges the CSOs have managed to forge forward with the campaign and are in
the process of finalizing a campaign strategy to guide the campaign for the next two years.
5.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF MDGs

The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) has finalized the preparation of a Strategic Plan, whose
mission is to coordinate and supervise the national statistical system; produce and disseminate
comprehensive, integrated, accurate and timely statistics required mainly to inform national
development initiatives and processes; and develop and maintain a socioeconomic national
database. Some of the strategies include enacting a new Statistics Act to provide for a
semiautonomous Statistics Bureau.

The Strategic Plan developed by CBS received a boost from two main quarters: the introduction of
a new donor-lending program known as STATCAP (Statistical Capacity Building Program) to
support more efficient and effective statistical systems in developing countries; and the joint
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UN System in Nairobi and CBS which had a
one-year implementation period (but is renewable).
STATCAP is driven by the new demands for statistical data in the preparation of poverty
reduction strategies, to monitor progress towards the MDGs, and by the new emphasis on
implementation and results. It includes four main components, namely, (a) improving statistical
policy and the regulatory and institutional framework, including issues such as independence and
confidentiality, the adequacy of legislation and dialogue with data users; (b) supporting the
development and maintenance of statistical infrastructure, including such aspects as business
registers, sampling frames, classifications, database structures and geographic information systems;
(c) upgrading and developing statistical operations and procedures; and (d) providing investments
in physical infrastructure and equipment.
The 2004/05 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS 2004/05) will contribute in
measuring progress in the ERS and the Millennium Development Goals. The KIHBS survey
proposal includes a checklist of MDG indicators that will be generated by the survey data.
However, the institutions spearheading the MDG agenda need to be more actively involved in the
preparation of the survey instruments (the questionnaires and the enumerators reference manual)
to assess the extent to which the survey will contribute to measuring progress in achieving the
MDGs.
The MOU brought together five UN agencies in their support to CBS in collection, storage and
dissemination of gender disaggregated data, but did not invalidate any bilateral arrangements
between CBS and specific UN agencies. The UN agencies are UNDP, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT,
UNICEF and UNIFEM. One of its key objectives was assessment of trends and disparities by
geographical area, gender and wealth/income for 48 millennium development goal indicators. The
MOU budget included development of a database system to organize data on MDG indicators, the
fourth Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, further analysis of the 1999 Population and
Housing Census (e.g. analyzing Nairobi census data by slum and non-slum differentials),
preparation of the CBS Strategic Plan, and support for review of the Statistics Act to make
statistical information easily accessible to all users. Most of the activities covered by the MOU
have been finalized.
The monitoring of socioeconomic development in Kenya has been boosted by other completed,
ongoing and planned statistical activities of the Central Bureau of Statistics. In particular, CBS in
2003 published poverty maps, which presented poverty estimates up to location (in rural areas)
and sub-location (in urban areas) for the entire country except Northeastern province1. A
forthcoming accompanying volume will present poverty and inequality estimates at constituency
level for about 187 of the 210 constituencies2 (see a synopsis in the Economic Survey 2004,
chapter 15).
1

Kenya has a hierarchically nested spatial and administrative organization of the nation, i.e. from nation,
province, district, division, location to sub-location.
2
A constituency is a political zone or area that is represented in Parliament by an elected representative
known as Member of Parliament (MP). There are a total of 210 such areas in Kenya.

The targeted allocation of public expenditure in Kenya is increasing using a constituency as an

area-based expenditure unit for pork barrel projects bringing home the bacon. This has been
achieved through pork-barrel legislation (the Constituency Development Fund), and allocation of
public resources through members of parliament for their respective constituencies (e.g.
secondary school bursaries, and funds for roads and HIV/AIDS awareness).
6.
6.1

MAINSTREAMING MDGs IN NATIONAL POLICY AND PLANNING FRAMEWORK

DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLICY AGENDA

Kenyas national agenda as expressed in the Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) is anchored on
rapid growth of gross domestic product (GDP) while maintaining price stability; strengthening
the institutions of governance; rehabilitation and expansion of physical infrastructure and
provision of low-cost housing; investment in human capital, especially for the poor in education
and health (including HIV/AIDS); and focus on productive sectors (e.g. agriculture, trade, tourism
and industry) and the environment. The ERS drew from the draft Kenya progress report on the
millennium development goals, and consequently the ERS has some focus on MDGs.
The fight against corruption, promoting accountability, enhancing security and the rule of law
support the achievement of the MDGs. In addition, following the Donors Consultative Group
meeting held in November 2003, the Government has undertaken a revision of the ERS,
continued to align the budget towards economic recovery and poverty reduction, and actions to
strengthen the institutions of governance. Other measures are to increase efficiency in the use of
the limited resources e.g. focusing the budget towards priority areas, strengthening and
entrenching the public expenditure review, and intensifying the fight against corruption to
protect public resources.
Kenya was identified by the United Nations Secretary Generals office to be one of the four African
pilot countries where the UN Millennium Project will be implemented. The others are Ghana,
Senegal and Ethiopia. The UN Millennium Project was launched in 2002 to help developing
countries develop best strategies to achieve the millennium development goals and thereby
substantially improve human conditions by 2015.
In mid-February 2004, Jeffery D. Sachs, the Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special
Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on MDGs, and his team of experts visited the country to lay the
groundwork for the Project. Subsequently, the Government and the United Nations Country Team
have held several meetings and discussions to identify how the MDGs can most effectively be
operationalized.
As a follow-up, the Government has prepared a Concept Note on the Needs Assessment Study that
outlines the methodology and institutional framework that the assessment will take. The Concept
Note formed the main agenda for discussion during a two-day National Stakeholders Workshop held
in May 2004.
The May 2004 workshop was addressed by the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Planning and
National Development (MPND), the World Bank Country Director, Head of DfID-Kenya, UN
Resident Representative, and Minister for Water Resources Management and Development. The

speakers reiterated that (a) Goal 8 provides the means to achieve the first seven goals; (b) there is
need to analyze how the devolution of MDGs in one sector affects other sectors; (c) MDGs are about
both aid and how to promote trade (e.g. through World Trade Organization, European Union and
other related groupings); and (d) that MDGs are about both financial resources and the right
policies. The Government was requested to show commitment by increasing budgetary resources
to ministries to meet the MDGs e.g. through higher allocations to primary healthcare. They also
emphasized that Kenyas GDP needs to grow at about 7% per annum to meet the MDGs.
The Government highlighted some of the major MDG-related programmes it was undertaking e.g.
free primary education; a comprehensive National Social Health Insurance Fund to provide both
inpatient and outpatient services to all Kenyans; the battle against HIV/AIDS pandemic; and the
National Gender and Development Policy to complement efforts to reduce gender disparities,
especially in tertiary institutions and in wage employment. In addition, Kenya faces serious
environmental challenges, which had been compounded by widespread poverty leading to
pressure on environmental goods and services. The damage to the environment has had an effect
on access to safe drinking water as the water catchments have been destroyed and water sources
polluted. The MDGs have therefore contributed to the greening of the PRSP, by putting better
focus on the nexus between environment and development.
The Government organized a two-day retreat in June 2004 for technical officers from various
agencies and experts from the UN Millennium Project office in Nairobi to internalize the MDGs
Needs Assessment Study Models. The June workshop was preceded by the meeting of the working
group on the Millennium Goal on Hunger. The main objective of the meeting was to prepare a
draft paper on Kenyas Action Plan to meet the MDG goal on hunger. The Action Plan was
presented at the meeting of Heads of State and Government on Innovative Approaches for
Meeting the Millennium Goal on Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa on 4th July 2004 in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.
6.2

THE MDG NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY

Kenya has already developed a Concept Note on the MDG needs assessment study. The needs
assessment will entail assessing the number of people to be assisted in order to meet the MDGs
(i.e. the population in need); estimating the resource needs to meet the MDGs (goods, services and
infrastructure); assessing how much this will cost; and assessing the local capacity for scale-up
activities to achieve MDGs.
The specific objectives are to:

Identify a set of integrated interventions and investments needed for the country to meet
the MDGs by 2015;
Identify the necessary infrastructure, human, and financial resources required to support a
scale-up of interventions through to 2015, and to ensure that appropriate absorptive
capacity is in place;
Outline a simple financing strategy for achieving the MDGs, including an assessment of
the resources that can be mobilized domestically by the government and households and
what the international community should support;

Provide a well researched and negotiated long-term basis for ongoing and subsequent
short- and medium-term policy interventions and practices such as the Economic
Recovery Strategy and development plans;
Provide a framework with clear benchmarks for monitoring and reporting on progress
towards meeting the MDGs; and
Promote policy dialogue and advocacy on MDGs.

The three steps of developing MDG-based poverty reduction strategies will be: needs assessment
through to 2015 (identifying the public investments required to meet the MDGs, including
infrastructure, human and financial resources); medium-term (10-year) policy plan for achieving
MDGs; and short-term MDG-based poverty reduction strategy (including a budget and strategy
for independent monitoring) based on the medium-term policy plan.
The methodology for the needs assessment study has six iterative steps. The first step is a review
of existing studies and policy documents.
The second step is the development of the list of interventions needed to meet the MDGs. The
interventions were grouped under the following broad categories: hunger; education; gender
equality; health systems; child health; maternal and reproductive health; infectious diseases
(HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria); access to essential medicines; environmental sustainability;
water and sanitation; improving the lives of slum dwellers; science and technology; energy
services and energy infrastructure; and transport infrastructure. In developing the list of
interventions, the analysis takes into consideration the fact that MDGs are outcome indicators and
thus do not cover the full range of required inputs. It may therefore be necessary to include
interventions and corresponding input targets that are not specifically listed under the MDG
goals, targets or indicators.
In addition, interventions are needed in multiple sectors simultaneously in order to achieve the
MDGs, and thus the need for intervention and costing synergies. For instance, how much will
investments in infrastructure affect access to health services and its associated costs? Equally a
school feeding programme that sources its food locally not only ensures better nutrition for
children but leads to higher rates of enrolment and retention as well as increased incomes for
local farmers.
The third step is to specify targets for each set of interventions, such as number of teachers,
classrooms, and learning materials required to ensure universal primary education.
The fourth step is to develop investment model and estimate resource requirements. In addition
to human resource and infrastructure targets, the investment models include capital as well as
operating costs. For each of the interventions, the process will identify realistic unit/total costs. To
the extent possible, the costing work will be based on analysis at the sub-national level, since the
cost of service provision, in say healthcare, is likely to differ from one geographical location to the
other e.g. high potential versus arid and semi-arid or rural versus urban areas.
The fifth step is to develop a simple financing strategy distinguishing between three sources of
funding: expenditure by households, domestic government resources, and external finance.

The sixth step is to identify policy and institutional constraints to achieving the MDGs e.g. the
budgetary process.
The process will be led by an MDG National Steering Committee (NSC) chaired by the Head of
Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Planning and National Development as the Convener. The other members of the steering
committee shall be Permanent Secretaries in the ministries of Agriculture, Livestock,
Cooperatives, Health, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Trade and Industry, Public
Works and Housing, Water, Transport, Energy, and Gender; representatives from multilateral
development partners (mission heads of the UN, World Bank, IMF, EU); a representative of
bilateral development partners; a representative from the civil society and from the Kenya Private
Sector Alliance.
The MDG technical committee will be responsible for provision of technical oversight to the
process. The Committee shall be chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning
and National Development and comprise of senior officers of ministries represented in the NSC,
Ministry of Planning and National Development (National Focal Point on MDGs and Sector
Conveners), UN Coordinating Team; UN Millennium Project Nairobi-based team, and a
representative of Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).
The analytical work will be carried out by a multidisciplinary group of policy researchers and
analysts, under the supervision and direction of the technical committee. The overall
coordination of the MDG process will be through a National Focal Point already appointed at the
Ministry of Planning and National Development. Sector Working Groups will form the center for
respective sector work analysis and discussions.
The Thematic Working Groups are hunger; education; gender; health; infrastructure and slum
upgrading; water and sanitation; energy and environment; science, technology and innovation;
and the MDG campaign strategy. In all the key thematic areas identified for the MDGs needs
assessment, the various working groups have reviewed the interventions and targets and prepared
work plans for the assessment.
The development of the MDG campaign strategy is meant to disseminate the MDG message to all
Kenyans so that they can become the rallying point for development. It will also be used to
establish partnerships and mobilize resources for MDGs in Kenya. The draft strategy being
developed will require the support of stakeholders in capacity building for key public sectors to
mainstream MDGs in policy formulation and planning processes; tracking and reporting,
including integration of MDG indicators into the national and sectoral M&E frameworks;
promotion of policy advocacy on MDGs; mounting an MDG campaign and awareness creation;
and analysis of goal on global partnership for development (trade, aid and debt).
The results of sector analyses will be discussed by the sector working groups which are
convened by the government through the respective sector conveners. The sector analysis is being
conducted within the existing Sector Working Groups, namely, agriculture and rural
development, physical infrastructure, human resources development, and the macro-working
group.

10

The assessment studies are expected to be finalized by August 2004; MDG Sector Needs
Assessment reports by end of September 2004; a consolidation of the sector reports into one
report by October 2004; and a long-term MDG-based plan by end of 2004. There will be close
collaboration between the sectors so as to bring out the inter-sectoral linkages e.g. between water
and education, and water/sanitation and health outcomes.
7.

EMERGING ISSUES

There are a number of issues that need to be taken into consideration in the design of action plans
and policies to achieve the MDGs. First are the interrelationships between various goals, and its
implications for policy, resource allocation, and costing. There will be need for cross-referencing
because many of the issues are beyond one sector, e.g. reasons for girls dropping out of school.
Secondly, there is always a tendency for new initiatives to generate new institutions as individuals
start fitting themselves in boxes in organograms. It is therefore encouraging that the process is
using the existing institutional arrangements such as the Sector Working Groups.
Thirdly, there are concerns about the level of burden to be borne by households on basic services,
especially because of the spatial differences in development and resource endowment, and intrahousehold burden of poverty (e.g. age and gender divide). There is also need to understand the
impact of the current macroeconomic, sectoral and trade policies on the poor as an input to the
design of pro-poor policies. The knowledge will assist in identifying the necessary elements for
inclusion in the core poverty programs in budget formulation and expenditure tracking.
Fourthly, there are specific concerns by some stakeholders that need to be addressed. The donors
have often cited the problem of absorptive capacity, which therefore needs to be addressed in the
event that external resource inflows increase substantially. At the community level, there is need
to acknowledge the importance of indigenous knowledge in issues such as food security and
attitudes that sustain HIV/AIDS.
Fifth, there has been a noted difference between the focus of Government and the civil society.
For example, Goal eight is considered the second most important goal after hunger, especially by
civil society organizations. Goal eight seeks to provide a proper deal between nations to eradicate
poverty. The civil society would therefore want to focus on Goal 8 as an international agenda, so
that the international community is held to account.
Sixth, the debate on MDGs provides a process for long-range vision to avoid ad hoc budgetary
arrangements. Since the PRSP and ERS have been developed through consultative processes,
there is need for debate on the MDGs and how to internalize them to enrich the existing
processes.
8.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The MDG campaign has enlisted the support of cabinet ministers, permanent secretaries and
other partners, which should result in linking and mainstreaming MDGs to the national policy,
budgeting and monitoring processes of the government. In addition, it is acknowledged within
Government that the MDG process in Kenya does not imply the introduction of yet another new
planning process, but rather that it builds on the existing resources and materials including major

11

government policy papers, current resource estimates, and action plans already developed. To a
certain extent, the ERS is seen as implementing the MDGs.
The department responsible for coordination of the MDGs in the Ministry of Planning and
National Development is also responsible for the annual Public Expenditure Review, and
therefore offers a unique opportunity to relate public resource allocation and the attainment of
the MDGs. The department should also assist to develop objective criteria for identification of
pro-poor budgetary policies and programs/projects that rely on causes of poverty and
vulnerability indicators specific to a particular community or region.
The main issues to be addressed include the institutional arrangements for monitoring and
evaluation, the relationship between government and the civil society, and between civil society
and the United Nations system.
Although the responsibility for monitoring most of the MDG indicators falls under the Central
Bureau of Statistics within the framework of the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Surveys
(KIHBS), the institutions dealing with policy and campaign on MDGs (the UN system, the MDG
focal point in the MPND, and civil society) have not contributed significantly in the design of the
KIHBS survey instruments (the questionnaires and the enumerators reference manual).
The initial momentum in CSO campaign on MDGs was not sustained because the arrangements
between UNDP and ActionAid-Kenya did not specify the funding arrangements, with each side
expecting the other to shoulder the bulk of the budget. It is necessary for the civil society (mainly
the NGO Council and ActionAid-Kenya) to incorporate MDGs as a thematic group with a
separate budget that can be funded by donors or the CSOs themselves. The terms of the CSOs
engagement with government and donors should be clearly spelt out, especially since CSOs are
supposed to hold the donors and government to account, and appear to have more concern for
trade-related causes of poverty.
The CSOs need to develop an independent institutional framework, but with technical and
financial support from donors, as the civil society may need to develop its own agenda especially
in analysis of government policy and in monitoring the implementation of programs. The civil
society can then be formally linked to ongoing processes e.g. public expenditure reviews and
sector working groups.
Currently, some CSOs feel that the Government has not been actively involving the civil society
in generation of major policy issues. Some have cited the preparation of the Public Expenditure
Review 2004 as a major output that had little input from the civil society. The major problem is
that there is no formal mechanism of incorporating the civil society, and the degree of
involvement of the civil society is normally at the discretion of government and donor agencies.
In most cases, a Government department invites the participation of a few CSOs (or specified
individuals in the CSOs) to participate in a particular activity, rather than structured collaboration
through established structures (e.g. the NGO Council and its thematic and regional networks).
The civil society is consulted as a matter of convenience as there is no formal mechanism of the
engagement process. This is an area that could be codified (e.g. in the arena of public expenditure
management).

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Smaller civil society organizations are donor-driven in terms of their development agenda. This
implies that if a donor does not have an MDG agenda, the CSO is not likely to have an explicit
MDG agenda. It is therefore necessary to sensitize the donors so that they include explicit MDG
agenda in their programs, and if possible use the MDG agenda as a yardstick of assessing the
performance of the CSOs they support.
The civil society organizations, mainly ActionAid-Kenya, have undertaken significant work on
the MDG campaign in Kenya. However, the MDG campaign has been part of the work program
of ActionAid-Kenya Policy Research Coordinator, who is also responsible for a host of other
activities. There is need for identifying a fulltime national CSO-MDG campaign coordinator,
preferably housed in ActionAid-Kenya and funded by donors (e.g. CEA-SURF).
There is need for proper coordination among donors. For example, the World Bank plans to
conduct a parallel costing exercise on the MDGs. The main focus of the UN Development
Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is to assist Kenya to meet the MDGs, and is therefore an
important instrument of donor coordination if various members of the UN Country Team
discussed their agenda on a more regular basis.
There is need for analytical studies on poverty and its causes as part of the needs assessment
studies. The main research gap is the link between macroeconomic policies and poverty at the
household level. This could include the impact of trade liberalization on various segments of the
society e.g. sugarcane farmers. Another research gap is the link between public expenditure and
various dimensions of poverty. The Government and donors should therefore conduct studies that
can be used to restructure public expenditure to effectively contribute to poverty eradication.
The MDGs are output indicators that require a wide array of inputs to achieve. However, the
budgetary process is largely input-based, and there is rarely any analysis of the link between
inputs and outputs. The MDG agenda will therefore need to be accompanied by increasing
reporting of outputs by ministries and other government departments on a regular basis.
At the regional level, the MDG agenda could be incorporated in the activities of the East African
Community and its legislative assembly. The secretariat of the regional trading bloc, the Common
Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), could provide a unique opportunity for
analysis, advocacy and policy-related issues covering Goal 8 (trade, aid and debt).
It is also important for UN agencies to blend the implementation and monitoring of the
millennium development goals to the current developments on the African continent, mainly the
New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) and its African Peer Review Mechanism
(APRM). The NEPAD identifies the main developmental issues in the continent as security,
democracy and political governance, economic management and corporate governance, and
regional cooperation and integration. Linked to this is the need to get the civil society adequately
involved in the NAPAD mechanism (see Electoral Institute of Southern Africa, 2003, for detailed
recommendations on possible involvement of civil society in the NEPAD initiative).

13

REFERENCES
ActionAid-Kenya and UNDP, Report on the Launch of the Civil Society Organizations Campaign
on MDGs, 2003
Diana Alarcon, The MDGs in National Policy Frameworks, Development Policy Journal, 3(1),
April 2003
Chandrika Bahadur, Guido Schmidt-Traub, Jeffrey D. Sachs, John W. McArthur and Margaret
Kruk, Ending Africas Poverty Trap, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 35(1), 2004
Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA), Strengthening Democracy through NEPAD: The
Role of African Civil Society, Report of the conference held 26-27 May 2003, Johannesburg,
South Africa, 2003
Charles Gore, Development Partnership for Escaping the Global Poverty Trap, Development
Policy Journal, 3(1), April 2003
Titus M. Katembu, What will it Cost to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals? A Kenya
Country Costing Study, Prepared for UNDP, Nairobi, 2003
Kenya, Central Bureau of Statistics, Memorandum of Understanding: 2003 Joint UN/CBS Work
Plan for the Collection, Storage and Dissemination of Data and Information, 2003
Kenya, Central Bureau of Statistics, Strategic Plan for National Statistical System 2003/4-2007/8,
2003
Kenya, Central Bureau of Statistics, Proposal for an Integrated Household Budget Survey for
Kenya (KIHBS 2004/05), 2004
Kenya, Ministry of Planning and National Development, A Report of the Stakeholders
Workshop on the Millennium Development Goals in Kenya, Held at Mount Kenya Safari Club,
Nanyuki on 16th and 17th September 2002
Kenya and United Nations Development Programme, Millennium Development Goals: Progress
Report for Kenya, 2003
Kenya, Ministry of Planning and National Development and the UNDP, Mainstreaming MDGs
within the National Policy and Planning Framework: Draft Concept Note, June 2004
Kenya, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Report of the Stakeholders Workshop on
the MDG Needs Assessment Study held on 13-14 May 2004 at Safari Park Hotel, May 2004
Kenya, Central Bureau of Statistics, Geographic Dimensions of Well-Being in Kenya: (Where are
the Poor: From Districts to Locations), Volume I, 2003

14

Kenya, Ministry of Planning and National Development, A Report of the Technical Workshop to
Discuss the Draft Millennium Development Goals Report in Kenya, Held at Hotel
Intercontinental, Nairobi on 29th April 2003
Kenya, Central Bureau of Statistics, Poverty and Inequality in Kenya: Constituency Level
Estimates, Chapter 15 of the Economic Survey 2004, 2004
John T. Mukui, The Implications of International Trade Restrictions on Kenya: A Preliminary
Analysis, Report prepared for the United Nations Development Programme, Nairobi, 2003
Jan Vandemoortele, The MDGs and Pro-poor Policies: Can External Partners Make a
Difference? United Nations Development Programme, New York, 2004
United Nations Development Group, Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development
Goals: Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources, United Nations, New York, 2003
United Nations Development Programme, Kenyan Experience of Partnering with CSOs/NGOs
around Monitoring of Millennium Development Goals, 2003a
United Nations Development Programme, Partners in Human Development: UNDP and Civil
Society Organizations, New York, 2003b
United Nations Development Programme, Campaigning for Action: Forum on the MDGS in
Central and Eastern Africa, 17-19 June 2002, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
UNDP-Central and Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Resource Facility (CEA-SURF), Civic
Engagement in Key Policy Processes: UNDP and the PRSP: An examination of seven countries in
Central and Eastern Africa, May 2002
United Nations Kenya Country Team, United Nations Development Assistance Framework
(UNDAF): Kenya 2004-2008, 2003

15

ANNEX ONE: DOMESTICATION OF MDG AGENDA IN THE KENYA INTEGRATED

HOUSEHOLD BUDGET SURVEY (KIHBS)
In framing questions on non-parametric measurements, one rule of thumb is that a question
should not contain any ambiguity. In addition, the choices should be mutually exclusive (each
option has a distinct meaning) and collectively exhaustive (to give legitimacy to using percentages
in reporting survey results). In each case, a particular probability (Pi) is assigned to an option such
that Pi = 1. This is the reason for inclusion of other, specify.
Some questions in the draft KIHBS survey instruments contained some ambiguities. For example,
the question on when the household member started school did not specify the level (preprimary
or primary) it refers to. Another question with ambiguities includes type of dwelling unit (G09).
Other questions contained responses that are not mutually exclusive. For example, the highest
education level completed can be both formal education (primary, secondary, university) and
technical/professional at the same time, but both are included in the same question as mutually
exclusive choices. However, these concerns have now been addressed.
The reference period for some responses may not capture the intended information e.g. sleeping
under mosquito net refers to the previous year rather than a shorter time interval. The flow of the
questionnaire needs to be improved to make it friendlier to both the enumerator (interviewer)
and the respondent. There is need to adapt the survey instruments (questionnaires and
enumerators reference manual) to the concepts and definitions used in collecting data on MDG
indicators, as specified in the publication of the United Nations Development Group titled

Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals: Definitions, Rationale, Concepts
and Sources (2003).

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MDG INDICATORS INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT KIHBS SURVEY INSTRUMENTS

Millennium
Target
MDG Indicators covered in KIHBS
Development Goal
Eradicate
Extreme Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the Proportion of population below $1 (PPP)
Poverty and Hunger
proportion of people whose income is per day;
less than one dollar a day
Poverty headcount ratio (% of population
below the national poverty line);
Poverty gap ratio [incidence x depth of
poverty];
Share of poorest quintile in national
consumption;
Prevalence of underweight in children
under five years of age
Achieve
Universal Ensure that, by 2015, children Net enrolment ratio in primary education;
Primary Education
everywhere, boys and girls alike, will Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who
be able to complete a full course of reach grade 5;
primary schooling
Primary completion rate
Promote
Gender Eliminate gender disparity in primary Literacy rate of 15-24 year olds;
Equality
and and secondary education preferably by Ratio of girls to boys in primary,
Empower Women
2005 and in all levels of education no secondary and tertiary education;
later than 2015
Ratio of literate women to men among 1524 year olds;
Share of women in wage employment in
the non-agricultural sector
Reduce Child
Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990
Proportion of 1-year old children
Mortality
and 2015, the under-five mortality
immunized against measles
rate
Improve
Maternal Reduce by three-quarters, between Proportion of births attended by skilled
Health
1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality health personnel
ratio
Combat
HIV/AIDS, Have halted by 2015, and begun to Contraceptive prevalence rate;
Malaria and other reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS;
Proportion of population in malaria risk
Diseases
Have halted by 2015, and begun to areas using effective malaria prevention
reverse the incidence of malaria and and treatment measures (use of treated
other major diseases
mosquito nets)
Ensure Environmental Halve, by 2015, the proportion of Proportion of population with sustainable
Sustainability
people without sustainable access to access to an improved water source, urban
safe drinking water and basic and rural;
sanitation
Proportion of urban and rural population
with access to improved sanitation;
Proportion of households with access to
secure tenure (urban/rural)
Develop a Global
Unemployment rate of 15-24 year-olds,
Partnership
for
each sex and total;
Development
Proportion of population with access to
affordable, essential drugs on a sustainable
basis;
Telephone lines and cellular subscribers
per 100 population;
Personal computers in use per 100
population and Internet users per 100
population

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ANNEX TWO: TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background
In 2000 the heads of states of 147 countries made a commitment to create a world with a better
future free from social and development evils. This commitment has goals, targets and indicators
that are collectively referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
To facilitate the MDG campaign in Central and Eastern Africa, an MDG Forum was held in Addis
Ababa in June 2002 involving 14 Central and Eastern Africa (CEA) member countries. In this
forum, it was reported that most of these countries are unlikely to attain the selected goals by the
year 2015, unless rigorous measures are taken. The forum identified some of the major challenges
and opportunities and made recommendations for country-specific action plans focusing on four
priority areas: national campaign, harmonizing MDGs with national strategies, financing MDGs,
and monitoring progress towards MDGs. To support national initiatives, the UNDPs Central and
Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Resource Facility (CEA-SURF) plans to develop a Regional Support
Programme for 14 countries.
The general objectives of this initiative are to contribute to and enhance national capacities and
opportunities for accelerating progress towards achieving the MDGs. It is envisaged that these
objectives will be achieved through strengthening national advocacy campaigns, policy
implementation, and developing and implementing monitoring programmes.
Needs Assessment
As part of the preparatory process, the CEA-SURF will conduct an assessment of UNDP Country
Office support needs in relation to strengthening the MDG campaigns in the country. The general
objective of the strategic initiative is to support the National MDG Campaign Action Plan
preparation, implementation and monitoring.
Specific objectives of the needs assessment are:
-

To understand the needs of the country in nationalizing the MDG targets and indicators;
To assess the existing Action Plans and/or similar development policies/programmes with
respect to their preparation, implementation and monitoring processes;
To identify the capacity needs for campaigning, harmonizing MDGs with national
strategies, financing MDGs, and monitoring progress towards MDGs;
To devise effective means and entry points for partnership building with different
stakeholders (CSOs, private sector, and development partners like UNDP);
To recommend specific areas of intervention by CEA-SURF at the regional level and
constituencies to achieve the MDGs

Scope of the Study

This study is part of a regional effort being conducted in four representative countries of the CEA
region, which include Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo (DR), Congo

18

(PR), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, and
Uganda.
Methodology
In conducting the study it is instructive to use multiple methods to have a complete picture of the
needs of the country. Thus, it may be necessary to employ such needs assessment techniques as
direct observation, review of relevant literature, questionnaires, consultation/interview with
persons in key positions and/or with specific knowledge, as well as records and reports such as the
global and national HDRs.
Deliverables
A comprehensive report of findings and recommendations for CEA-SURF support to UNDP
Country Offices initiatives outlining the following:

The current status in relation to achieving the MDGs

A review of the National Action Plan and an analysis of its potential effectiveness in
enabling the country to progress towards MDGs with specific reference to the four
priority areas i.e. campaigning, harmonizing MDGs with national strategies, financing
MDGs, and monitoring progress towards MDGs; progress of its implementation; and the
challenges and opportunities for capacity development that it presents for UNDP country
office, government and civil society organizations. (Important note: In the case where a

National Action Plan does not exist the consultant is supposed to outline the essential
elements of such an Action Plan corresponding to the priority areas outlined above)

Best and worst (bad) practices policy and actual practices for achieving MDGs. What
works? What doesnt work?
Recommendations on support and capacity needs that can be best met through a regional
initiative (at policy and project level) and key partners in the process
Recommendations on best ways to engage regional level partners

19