Joint Strategic Framework (JSF)

KENYA 2022-2026

February 2021

Participating organisations

Contacts:

ACTEC m.carbonnelle@actec-ong.org

michel.garcia@actec-ong.org

Africalia braeyes@africalia.be

africalia@africalia.be

ASF rravet@asf.be

jbest@asf.be

gdurdu@asf.be

VVOB inge.vandevyvere@vvob.org

tom.vandenbosch@vvob.org

arne.willems@vvob.org

Observing organisations

Contacts:

CEBioS ljanssens@naturalsciences.be

hkeunen@naturalsciences.be

IFSI-ISVI vera.vannuffelen@ifsi-isvi.be

Rikolto david.leyssens@rikolto.org

VLIR-UOS annelien.gansemans@vliruos.be

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 5

2. General context and risk analysis ...................................................................................................... 7

2.1. Demography ................................................................................................................................. 7

2.2. Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 7

2.3. Politics .......................................................................................................................................... 9

2.4. Policy framework ........................................................................................................................ 10

2.5. SDGs ........................................................................................................................................... 11

2.6. Gender ........................................................................................................................................ 12

2.7. Environment ............................................................................................................................... 13

2.8. To conclude ................................................................................................................................ 14

3. Joint strategic goals ......................................................................................................................... 15

3.1. Joint Strategic Goal 1: Education & Culture ............................................................................... 16

3.2. Joint Strategic Goal 2: Human rights, Governance and Justice .................................................. 24

4. Relationship with other JSFs ............................................................................................................ 28

4.1. Thematic JSF Decent Work (SDG 8) ............................................................................................ 28

4.2. Thematic JSF Resilient Social-Ecological Systems (SDG6-13-14-15) ........................................... 31

4.3. Thematic JSF Higher Education & Science (SDG 4-9) ................................................................. 33

4.4. Regional links .............................................................................................................................. 37

5. Synergy & complementarity ............................................................................................................ 38

6. Collective learning processes ........................................................................................................... 40

7. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 43

ABBREVIATIONS

ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution

ASAL Arid and Semi-Arid Land

ASF Avocats Sans Frontières

ARES Académie de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur

BNGA Belgian Non-Governmental Actors

CCI Cultural and Creative Industries

CeBIOS Capacities for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development

CSO Civil Society Organization

D4D Digital for Development

ECDE Early Childhood Development Education

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GPE Global Partnership for Education

HES4SD Higher Education and Science for Sustainable Development

HEI Higher Education Institutes

HE&SI Higher Education and Science Institutes

HDI Human Development Index

HRD Human Rights Defenders

HRBA Human Rights Based Approach

IFSI-ISVI International Syndical Cooperation

ITM Institute of Tropical Medicin

JCA Joint Context Analysis

JSF Joint Strategic Framework

JSG Joint Strategic Goal

KEPSA Kenya Private Sector Alliance

LNOB Leave No One Behind

MDG Millenium Development Goals

MPI Multidimensional Poverty Index

MTP Medium Term Plan

PaP Project Affected Population

SDG Sustainable Development Goal

STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

tJSF Thematic Joint Strategic Framework

TVET Technical, Vocational Education and Training

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees / Refugee Agency

VLIR-UOS Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad – Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking

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1. INTRODUCTION

Kenya has made significant political, structural and economic reforms that have largely driven sustained

economic growth, social change and political gains over the past decade. Kenya’s Vision 2030 puts

forward a globally competitive and prosperous nation, transforming Kenya into a newly industrializing,

middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure

environment (Government of the Republic of Kenya, 2007). However, Kenya still faces enormous

challenges in addressing persistent poverty, unemployment, structural (gender) inequalities,

environmental problems, and spatial socio-economic disparity.

The Belgian Non-Governmental actors (BNGAs) active in Kenya wish to present in this Joint Strategic

Framework (JSF) 2022-2026 their contribution to sustainable change in Kenya. It builds upon the

lessons learned and achievements of the JFS Kenya 2017-2021 and the Joint Context Analysis (JCA) 2015.

Under the guidance of VVOB Education for Development and with the support of Fiabel, the elaboration

of the JSF involved the active participation of 4 BNGAs:

- ACTEC

- Africalia

- Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF)

- VVOB

The two latter organisations are welcomed as newcomers in JSF Kenya, although VVOB has a 25-year

track record in Kenya. Four other organisations were involved in the process as observer:

- Capacities for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (CeBioS)

- International Syndical Cooperation (IFSI-ISVI)

- Rikolto

- Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad – Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (VLIR-UOS).

A first (virtual) kick-off meeting for the elaboration of this JSF document was organized on the 1st of

December 2020, after which VVOB started the drafting process. The Vademecum provided by the

federations on elaborating the 2022-2026 JSFs was our reference work. Exchanges for providing input

and feedback on the draft were done by e-mail. An intensive online workshop was held on the 15th of

January 2021, to explore synergies and discuss possible learning trajectories. Input from the Belgian

Embassy in Nairobi on the draft context analysis was also received. In the beginning of February 2021, 3

Belgian academic experts in the field of gender, environment, and the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) provided their reflections on the document through a proof reading, followed by a personal

feedback meeting with JSF Kenya members on the 4th of February 2021. Reworking and further

improving the JSF document with all the input and feedback provided was done in February 2021,

followed by a formal approval (“advice of non-objection”) of the JSF by all members by the end of

February 2021.

The involvement of Kenyan partners of the BNGAs was challenging, as the elaboration process of the

JSF came too early for 3 out of 4 members of the JSF to already have identified or confirmed their future

partners. Mobility restrictions related to COVID-19 slowed down the process of partner and programme

identification. However, thanks to the progress ACTEC made in identifying its future actions and their

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excellent connections with local partners, the valuable input from Kenyan actors has been incorporated

in the JSF. A feedback process was organized with 2 Kenyan partners from ACTEC mid-February,

enriching the document with an adequate picture of the current situation in Kenya and confirming the

developmental relevance of the identified goals, approaches, synergies, and joint learning.

In line with the country’s needs and the expertise of the organizations involved, 2 strategic goals are

presented in this JSF:

- Education & culture;

- Human rights, governance & justice.

The changes in the composition of the JSF participants resulted in a shift from a goal focusing on

research towards a goal focusing on human rights, governance & justice, while the first goal on

education & culture was maintained. Welcoming two new members and broadening the links with other

Thematic JSFs, also opened new opportunities for synergy and complementarity, and for collective

learning.

Specific attention was also given to the transversal themes and priority areas of the Belgian

development cooperation. In line with the JSF 2017-2021, gender and environment are again taken up

transversally in this JSF. Both the context analysis and the existing policy frameworks underline the

importance and relevance of these two topics. They have been made explicit and visible within the 2

goals, by adding dedicated approaches. As a lesson learned from JSF 2017-2021, the topic of digital for

development (D4D) was given more attention in the JSF 2022-2026. We also introduced a more

ambitious approach for integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the JSF by taking into

account the principles of Leaving No One Behind1 (LNOB), interlinkages and multi-stakeholder

partnerships with the aim to go beyond a simple labelling exercise. Lastly, the new goal on human rights,

justice and governance motivated us to insert a new perspective as put forward in the Human Rights

Based Approach (HRBA), which equally constitutes a Belgian priority area.

1 Throughout the text, references to the “Leave No One Behind” (LNOB-)principle will be highlighted with the symbol in the margin.

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2. GENERAL CONTEXT AND RISK ANALYSIS

Kenya has the potential to be one of Africa’s success stories from its growing youth population, a

dynamic private sector, highly skilled workforce, improved infrastructure, a new constitution, and its

pivotal geopolitical role in East Africa.

2.1. DEMOGRAPHY

Kenya has experienced an enormous population

growth since the mid-20th century, as a result of

its high birth rate and its declining mortality rate.

About 40% of Kenyans are under the age of 15

(see figure 1). High fertility (3.43 average births

per woman estimated in 2020), early marriage

and childbearing (mother’s mean age at birth in

2014 was 20.3 years), and a remaining unmet

need for family planning (contraceptive

prevalence rate at 60.5% in 2017) are

contributing factors to the demographic situation

of Kenya. (The World Factbook, 2020)

The population of Kenya is heavily concentrated in the capital

of Nairobi, in the west along the shore of Lake Victoria and in

the southeast along the Indian Ocean coast, as shown in

figure 2.

Kenya’s relative stability since its independence in 1963 has

attracted hundreds of thousands of refugees escaping violent

conflicts in neighboring countries. Kenya shelters more than

500.000 refugees and asylum-seekers, of which about

270.000 are from Somalia. (UNHCR Kenya Infographics, 31

December 2020)

Although its rapid population growth can be seen as an asset

for the country, it also puts an enormous pressure on the

demand for education, the labor market, social services,

arable land, and natural resources. Youth are particularly at

risk when it comes to access to job opportunities and decent work.

2.2. ECONOMY

Kenya’s economic growth averaged 5.7% over the period 2015-2019, placing Kenya as one of the fastest

growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya is the 2nd largest economy in the Eastern Africa region

after Ethiopia. The recent economic expansion has been boosted by a stable macroeconomic

environment, positive investor confidence and a resilient services sector. The services sector contributes

42.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs 35% of the workforce. Tourism, a core sector of

the Kenyan economy for economic output and employment, has been influenced by several terrorist

Figure 1 : Kenya population pyramid 2020 (The World Factbook)

Figure 2: Kenya population distribution map (The World Factbook)

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attacks carried out by the Al-Shabab group since 2013 (like the January 2019 terrorist attack that killed

15 people in Nairobi). The current COVID-19 pandemic, however, has had an even more significant

negative economic impact, bringing to a halt national and global tourism, travel, hospitality, financial

markets, creative industries and live entertainment, personal services, food value changes, as well as

supply businesses that are linked to these industries. The number of foreign visitors between January

and October 2020, for example, fell by two thirds, resulting in a loss of almost 1 billion dollars of

revenues. A recent study equally indicated that a large majority of actors currently involved in the

creative industry in Kenya have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic slowdown, leading to

significant changes in income and operating costs (HEVA, April 2020).

Kenya’s economy however is being hit hard through supply and demand shocks on external and

domestic fronts, interrupting its recent broad-based growth path. Apart from the COVID-19 pandemic,

the locust attack which started early 2020, has affected many parts of Kenya especially the North East. It

has resulted in rising prices of food affecting for example food provision in schools, and had a negative

impact on the food security and growth of the agriculture sector in the country. Real GDP growth

is projected to 1.5% in 2020, while previous estimations before COVID-19 projected 6% for

2020. (Worldbank, 2020; Statista, 2020; African Development Bank, 2020)

Manufacturing and financial industries on the other hand, although modest, are among the most

sophisticated in East Africa. Also the IT and communications sectors are expanding very rapidly. Kenya,

with its very good Internet connectivity, is increasingly becoming a digital hub in the region, thereby

attracting direct and large investments from IBM, Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc. Apart from that the

construction industry is very dynamic. The growth pace of transport, medicine, education, or financial

services turns Kenya into a central and pivotal economic player in the region. (Worldbank, 2020;

GlobalTrade.net, 2020)

Kenya’s private sector is characterized by a dichotomous structure: a formal business sector, which is

relatively healthy and productive but concentrated in a few firms, and a massive, informal, low-

productivity small business sector, which contributes 83% of employment in the private sector. Large

formal private sector entities exist mainly in financial and related services, wholesale, and horticulture,

tea, coffee, and sugar cane production. The bulk of agricultural production falls within the informal

subsistence-oriented smallholder farming, largely concentrating in food crops and nomadic livestock

rearing. (African Development Bank, 2019)

A study from Aga Khan University in 2019 on job-entry level skills, revealed that Kenya’s labour market is

shaped by the dominance of sectors such as wholesale and retail, food and accommodation services and

transport, which account for most jobs created. The study finds that there is very little collaboration or

coordination between employers and training/skills development institutions. Hence, according to

employers, most of the youth hired at entry-level lack relevant skills and competences needed for the

workplace. Employers prefer hiring staff with two or more years of experience, as to avoid large

investments in training new recruits. This systemic cause for vulnerability of youth to unemployment,

should be tackled at the level of the education sector. (Aga Khan University, 2019)

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2.3. POLITICS

Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo Kenyatta led Kenya from independence in 1963

until his death in 1978, when Vice President Daniel Arap Moi took power in a constitutional succession.

The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982, after which the ruling Kenya African

National Union changed the constitution to make itself the sole legal party in Kenya. Moi acceded to

internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. President Moi stepped down in

December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai Kibaki, running as the candidate of the

multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated Kenya African National

Union candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of founding president Jomo Kenyatta, and assumed the

presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. (The World Factbook, 2020)

Kibaki’s reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging and unleashed two months of

violence in which approximately 1.100 people died. African Union-sponsored mediation led by former

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in late February 2008 resulted in a power-sharing agreement. It

included a broad reform agenda, the centerpiece of which was a constitutional reform. In August 2010,

Kenyans overwhelmingly adopted a new constitution in a national referendum, in the hope that the new

constitution would remedy long‐standing injustices and improve service delivery. The new constitution

introduced additional checks and balances to executive power and devolved power and resources to 47

newly created counties. New positions within the Government of Kenya were created from this process

including governors (the administrative head of each county), senators (who represent county interests

within the parliament), and elected county assemblies. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2020, there

are still serious implementation gaps for the constitution to hold its promise of promoting accountable

and transparent leadership. Threats to free expression, harassment of rights activists and unlawful

police killings have been reported over the years. (The World Factbook, 2020; Human Rights Watch,

2020)

A huge challenge for accountable and transparent leadership, are the high corruption levels permeating

every sector of Kenya’s economy and politics, hindering change and endangering democracy. Kenya

scores below the average of Sub Saharan Africa on the corruption perceptions index of 2019 (average is

32/100, Kenya scores 28/100, ranking 137 out of 180 countries globally). A long list of corruption

scandals has plagued Kenya since decades, leading to billions of dollars being lost. Corruption in Kenya is

a serious problem that urgently needs to be addressed and resolved for the country to grow and

harness its potential. (Transparency International, 2019)

Another important aspect of Kenyan politics is the dominance of ethnic-based politics, a legacy of the

British colonial divide and rule policies. Ethnic identity remains the basis for mobilization and structuring

of politics in contemporary Kenya, challenging democratic processes. (Mati, 2019)

Current president Uhuru Kenyatta won the first presidential election under the new constitution in

March 2013 and continued with a second (final) term in November 2017 following a contentious, repeat

election. New elections are planned in 2022, with speculations already starting on the appointment of a

successor for Kenyatta and with discussions taking place for organizing a referendum mid-2021 on

constitutional amendments for reintroducing the prime minister position with two deputies. (The Africa

Report, 2020)

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2.4. POLICY FRAMEWORK

Launched in 2008, Kenya Vision 2030 is the national development blueprint to

create a globally competitive and prosperous nation transforming Kenya into a

newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all

its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment. It consists of an economic

pillar (aiming for economic growth), social pillar (putting forward social

development) and political pillar (aiming for a democratic system), anchored in

foundations of macroeconomic stability; infrastructural development; Science,

Technology and Innovation; Land Reforms; Human Resources Development;

Security and Public Sector Reforms. In September 2014, Kenya crossed the threshold to become a low-

middle income country, with still a long way to go to become an upper-middle income economy.

Kenya’s Vision 2030 is implemented through five-year Medium Term Plans (MTPs). The current and third

MTP 2018-2022 aims to achieve accelerated, high, inclusive, broad based, sustainable economic growth,

social economic transformation and development. President Uhuru Kenyatta conceptualized this in his

“Big Four” manifest, presented at his second term inauguration in 2017.

Figure 3: The Big Four Agenda 2018-2022 priority areas and overarching goals (European Joint Cooperation Strategy with Kenya)

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2.5. SDGS

Kenya has prioritized the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The process began with an official launch

of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) in Kenya in 2016

and thereafter the development of a Country SDGs Roadmap to

guide the transition from the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) to the SDGs. At the heart of Kenya’s 2030 Agenda is the

mainstreaming of the SDGs within both the national and sub-

national development frameworks through consultative and

interactive processes involving various stakeholders. The latter

include all levels of government, the private sector, civil society

organizations (CSOs), academia, vulnerable groups and the

citizens. The principles of Kenya’s national Development Agenda

(MTP and the Big four) are aligned with the SDGs. At the sector

level, SDGs have been mainstreamed in sector plans, strategic

plans and annual performance contracts. The second Voluntary

National Review on the implementation of the SDGs in Kenya

was published in 2020, putting forward two main lessons learned

from the implementation period 2017-2019. Firstly, despite the reduction in the national poverty rate

from 46.6% in 2005/06 to 36.1% in 2015/16, the number of people living in absolute poverty has

increased over the last decade. A large proportion of the population continue to suffer from poverty and

lack basic social and economic services and opportunities. Secondly, the slow economic growth has not

created sufficient jobs, especially not for the increasing youth population. The Kenya country profile on

the performance on the SDGs, shows that major challenges remain for Kenya in achieving 9 SDGs and

significant challenges remain for 6 SDGs (see also figure 4). Data on trends shows an improvement for

only 7 SDGs to be on track to achieve the SDG targets. With a score of 60,17% achievement, Kenya ranks

123rd out of 193 countries involved (Covid-19 impact not yet being accounted for).

Through the pledge to Leave No One Behind (LNOB), countries have committed to fast-track progress

for those furthest behind first. Kenya’s Human Development Index (UNDP, 2020) value for 2019 is 0.601,

which puts the country in the medium human development category, positioning it at 143 out of 189

countries and territories. However, when the value is discounted for inequality, the value falls to 0.443,

a loss of 26.3 percent due to inequality in the distribution of the key dimension of human development.

This is slightly better than the average loss for Sub Saharan Africa (30.5 percent) but showed almost no

changes in the last years (26.4 in 2017). So, while Kenya is generally improving, there are disparities

among various segments in society. An important factor contributing to being at risk, certainly in times

of Covid-19 restrictions, is access to energy: 30 % of rural populations and 15 % of urban populations do

not have access to electricity in Kenya (World Bank, 2018).

Figure 4: Kenya Average Performance by SDG (Sustainable Development Report 2020)

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As put forward by the civil society platform SDGs Kenya Forum, people with disabilities, people living in

informal settlements, pastoralists, older persons and unemployed youth are identified as vulnerable

groups. The Voluntary National Review of 2020 also

highlights that poverty is more prevalent in rural than

urban areas. Households in rural areas on average

spend less than half of what is spent by the households

in the core-urban areas. At the same time, poverty

rates vary widely across the country, with the highest

rates in Turkana, Mandera, Samburu and Busia

counties. The lowest are recorded in Nairobi, Nyeri,

Meru and Kirinyaga counties. The Multidimensional

Poverty Index (MPI) for Kenya also highlights the

enormous differences between subnational regions,

with the North Eastern region facing severest poverty

challenges (University of Oxford, 2020). This is linked

with environmental characteristics of the region, whereby the richest counties are rain-rich fertile areas

with a high eco-potential, contrasting with the (semi-)arid areas. The regional disparities and access to

natural resources also have an ethnical dimension, intersecting with gender inequalities, resulting in

significant differences in risks for populations being left behind.

2.6. GENDER

With a gender parity score of 0.6712 and a rank of 109 out of 153 countries,

Kenya scores just below the average of 0.686 (World Economic Forum,

2020). The Kenya profile on the four components (figure 5) shows a high

score on the education and health component, a medium score on

economy, and a weak score on politics.

Kenya has seen significant action in recent years to build institutions,

infrastructure and policies to promote gender equality, including a Plan of

Action to implement the National Policy on Gender and Development,

launched in 2008. The country has made some progress on maternal

mortality, has achieved gender parity in primary education enrolment and is

approaching parity in secondary education. (Equal Measures 2030, 2020)

The impact of legal and policy frameworks on the lives of girls and women,

however, has been undermined by weak implementation (e.g., on the mandatory one third gender-

representation in politics), aggravated by weak monitoring and evaluation and a lack of gender-

responsive budgeting. Pervasive discrimination and cultural norms influence women’s land tenure and

participation in labor markets; result in child, early and forced marriage; sustain female genital

mutilation; have a negative impact on food security and nutrition; and are linked with differences in

access to finance and technology. Many girls and women still lack access to basic services, and women

2 A score of 1.00 reflects gender parity.

Figure 6: Kenya Global Gender Gap Index (World Economic Forum, 2020)

Figure 5: Mapping MPI value by Subnational Region (Kenya Country Briefing July 2020)

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remain under-represented in decision-making positions and political leadership. (Equal Measures 2030,

2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to put at risk the hard-won gains in tackling gender gaps worldwide,

with women facing disproportionate economic and health risks. Kenya has put in place gender sensitive

policy measures, focusing on women’s economic security (through the National Safety Net Programme,

giving cash to women in beneficiary households) and on preventing violence against women

(investigating rising reports of violence against women and girls). (Covid-19 Global Gender Response

Tracker UNDP, 2020)

2.7. ENVIRONMENT

Kenya’s natural heritage is globally recognized for its rich biodiversity and iconic landscapes. Its

geographical features include savannah, lakes, mountains, highlands, and the Great Rift Valley. Arid and

semi-arid lands make up roughly 80 percent of Kenya’s land area. Kenya is however facing many

environmental challenges that include deforestation, soil erosion, land degradation, desertification, loss

of biodiversity, water scarcity and pollution from industry. Kenya is a chronically water scarce country

with one of the lowest natural replenishment rates in the world. Around 90% of the country is either

arid or semi-arid, rainfall patterns are highly variable, and climate change is likely to exacerbate these

stresses. (World Bank Kenya Country Environmental Analysis, 2019)

In the 2018 Environmental

Performance Index, Kenya ranked

130 out of 180 countries.

Environmental health indicators

for Kenya are particularly low

(145th place), with water and

sanitation ranked as one of the

lowest in the world. Ecosystem

vitality indicators perform better

(106th place), with the highest

ranking being assigned to the

biodiversity and habitat score.

(Environmental Performance

Index, 2018)

The core of Kenya’s poverty and environmental

problems lies at the interlinkages of population

growth, (gender) inequality, poor governance,

corruption, and high dependence on natural

resource-based incomes (figure 6). A rapidly

rising population increases the numbers of

people seeking natural resource-based livelihood

opportunities placing further pressures on already

fragile ecosystems. Climate change is accelerating Figure 8: Kenya’s environmental sectors, drivers and issues (World Bank Kenya Country Environmental Analysis, 2019)

Figure 7: Environmental Performance Index Score Kenya Scorecard (Environmental Performance Index, 2018)

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the impact of existing vulnerabilities to environmental shocks such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves.

Research from 2017 shows for example that although the entire country is vulnerable for climate

change impacts, the Northern parts as well as the Southern tip of the coastal strip are the most

vulnerable. Gendered roles and responsibilities in households in the field of managing crops, livestock

and agroforestry, also interplay with climate change effects (Ngigi, 2017). Kenya’s economy has always

depended heavily on environmental goods and services. Kenya’s economic growth is intensifying, and it

is crucial that environmentally sustainable approaches are part of this process. In addition, Kenya’s

diverse regional landscapes create the necessity for versatile environmental regulatory policies which

can be adapted to suit local environmental conditions, challenges, and opportunities. Kenya has a wide

range of progressive environmental policies, but implementation remains a challenge. (World Bank

Kenya Country Environmental Analysis, 2019)

2.8. TO CONCLUDE

For Kenya to deliver on its potential of becoming Africa’s success story, addressing the interlinked

challenges of poverty, (gender) inequality, governance, the skills gap between market requirements and

the education curriculum, climate change and environmental problems, low investment and low firm

productivity, will be a major goal. (Worldbank, 2020)

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3. JOINT STRATEGIC GOALS

Based on the context analysis presented in chapter 2 and taking into account their expertise, the

participants of JSF Kenya want to contribute to:

- strengthening the human and social capital of the Kenyan (young) population by supporting the

education and cultural sector in their powerful role as drivers towards sustainable change;

- strengthening civil society to foster the promise of the New Constitution putting forward a

fairer, more just, empowering society with an accountable and transparent leadership;

- taking into account the furthest left behind in society in all actions that we do without further

putting pressure on natural resources.

By focusing on education and culture, lifelong learning and empowerment of the Kenyan (young)

population, with a justified attention for (gender) inequalities, the JSF Kenya will indirectly contribute to

some of the main challenges put forward in the context analysis. Improved education and a

strengthened cultural industry, better labor market opportunities and the power to claim rights tend to

result in lower population growth rates in general, especially when having a particular focus on youth,

girls and women. This in turn will result in a co-benefit for the environment, as it reduces pressure on

natural resources. Another key benefit of improving education and increased job opportunities in

different sectors, in combination with improved governance and decreased corruption, is that it also

allows for income diversification. This decreases the high dependency on natural resource-based

incomes, in a context of increasing environmental degradation and issues of land access. A shift to other

income generating activities has an impact on reducing vulnerability to environmental shocks and on

relieving pressure on natural resources. This is complemented with an approach to improve capacities

to claim rights for protecting the environment and dealing with land issues.

From a human rights-based approach perspective, the two goals are also very complementary in on the

one hand empowering rights holders to raise their voice, claim their rights, and be active citizens, and

on the other hand, in strengthening duty bearers to fulfill human rights of the rights holders. While JSG1

does this through a more indirect and long-term approach of improving the education system and

cultural sector to educate a future generation of active citizens, JSG2 works more directly on

strengthening capacities for respecting, protecting, and guaranteeing rights. Within JSG1, the different

actors complement each other by combining approaches that are implemented at school and student

levels (relating to the level of the right holders) and approaches that are implemented at management

and government levels (relating to the level of the duty bearers).

Overview of Joint Strategic Goals (JSG)

Joint Strategic Goal 1:

Education & Culture

Strengthen inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong

learning and cultural opportunities for all

Joint Strategic Goal 2:

Human Rights,

Governance and Justice

Support Kenyan communities, civil society organizations and independent

human rights institutions to foster access to justice and demand for good

governance.

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3.1. JOINT STRATEGIC GOAL 1: EDUCATION & CULTURE

1. Specific context analysis

Education

The Kenyan Ministry of Education puts quality education and training forward to build a just and

cohesive society that enjoys inclusive and equitable social development.

After introducing free primary and secondary education on the basis of equality and non-discrimination

in 2003 and 2008 respectively (World Education News + Reviews, 2015), enrolment rates improved to

almost universal primary education with equal participation of girls and boys today (GPE, 2020). Gender

parity has improved at the level of primary enrolment rate, but with an average of spending 6 years at

school, girls still spend 1.2 years less than boys at school (Human Development Report, 2020). Improved

access to education also comes with consequences for the quality of education, as the funding to install

this shift towards universal primary education was significantly low for both infrastructure and material

needs, and for investments in the necessary human resources for schools. A new 2+6+3+3 competence-

based structure of education is gradually being implemented and replaces the 8+4+4 system. A pilot in

preprimary and primary started in 2018, the full reform is expected to be implemented by 2026 in all

sectors. Enrolment in early childhood development education (ECDE) in Kenya is on a rise, although

close to 25% of children who are supposed to be enrolled in ECDE were not (2018). At national level

gender parity is almost equal, but looking at regional differences, the arid and semi-arid land (ASAL)

areas mark a significantly lower enrolment of girls. For basic education in general, children and youth

from urban areas are more likely to be in school compared to their counterparts in rural areas, and the

gap widens during their educational careers. Taking into account gender differences, rural boys have a

lower chance of staying in primary, transiting to secondary school and staying through secondary

relative to urban boys and girls from both rural and urban areas. Girls from ASAL areas are however

strongly disadvantaged in their education career. (Kenya Education Sector Analysis, 2018)

As for secondary education, despite increases in enrolments in absolute terms, access to secondary

schools is still low. Close to 50% of the secondary school age cohort is not enrolled in secondary schools

(Kenya Education Sector Analysis, 2018). Completion rates also mark regional disparities: in the North

Eastern and Coast regions, more than 70% do not attend up to the end of secondary education, the

majority of whom are girls. In 2014, gender disparities in education were highest at the level of the

upper secondary completion rate (36% for girls versus 45% for boys; World Inequality Database on

Education). Some families remain reluctant to send their children to school, especially their daughters,

reflecting gendered norms, roles and responsibilities for household obligations. These gender

inequalities do not only negatively affect girls, but also come with a cost for human and economic

development for society in general (World Bank, 2018). Family labor of youth in the household in

general can be considered as a trade-off with improved access to education, as youth at school cannot

contribute to the family labor or income. In parallel, high-tuition fees in for-profit schools, supposedly

more qualitative, often exclude youth from their right to education. A severe hindrance for secondary

education is the cost, resulting in large differences in transition rates from primary to secondary

education between the poorest quintile (64%) and the richest quintile (91%) (World Inequality Database

on Education).

17

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET3) also targets youth in Kenya but is still

perceived negatively by students – though in recent years there have been progresses in this regard.

And for good reasons, as Kenya, being the country with the highest unemployment rate in East Africa

with 39%, plans to create 1.3 million jobs by 2022 by focusing on this type of education, as one of the

pillars of its Big Four Agenda. Since 2000, awareness has risen for the critical role that TVET can play in

economic growth and national development. TVET is a pragmatically important component of the

national training system that entails, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and

related sciences, the acquisition of knowledge, practical skills and attitudes relating to occupations in

various sectors of economic and social life. In other words, it aims at bridging the gap between

education and the labor market’s needs in a rather efficient way. Job placements, internships, dual

learning… are possible pathways for linking up TVET with the labor market. However, this education’s

sub-sector is currently not yet responsive enough to the changing needs of the labor market as it faces

various challenges such as inadequate facilities, management and funding, and disparities in the training

standards. In addition to the need of a better quality in the TVET sector, an increase in its offer is greatly

needed. Currently, there is a limited offer of TVET institutions, which means that only a small proportion

of school leavers are able to enter it. The Gender Parity Index for enrolment at TVET reflects a lower

enrolment of girls (0.77 in 2018, compared to almost 1.00 for primary and secondary education in 2015),

especially in public TVET institutions that are STEM-oriented. (Kenya Education Sector Analysis, 2018)

The National Education Sector Strategic Plan (2018-2022) puts 4 policy priorities in education forward to

which the actions of the participants of JSF Kenya align:

- increasing access and participation,

- enhancing quality and relevance,

- enhancing governance and accountability,

- improving equity and inclusivity.

In the coming years, a new challenge for Kenyan children and youth is arising: that of dealing with the

consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only did the Kenyan children and youth suffer severely

from an extended school closure from March 2020 until January 20214 (and likely beyond), the crisis is

also having a significant negative impact on the economy in the service, industry and agriculture sectors

(Statista, 2020). The technical report on COVID-19 impacts and short-term economic recovery in Kenya

(Joint Research Centre, 2020) formulates a policy recommendation on supporting schools to keep

education possible by implementing measures for remote (e-)schooling. In addition to focusing on

attendance in the short-term, these measures could also be “an opportunity for human capital

development and computer literacy on the long-run” if the inclusion of the rural and low-income

households is carefully considered by investment programmes (p.14, JRC, 2020). Next to conditions of

internet connectivity being an important factor to take into account for reducing inequalities, gendered

household responsibilities can also hinder the potential of online learning at home for girls. In general,

ICT-skills provide youth with a potential to contribute to the needed economic recovery. The importance

of investing in digitalization and online learning, was also a main lesson learned from actors involved in

JSF Kenya in 2020.

3 In Kenya, the term Technical, Industrial and Vocational Education and Training (TIVET) is also used. 4 In October 2020 only grades 4, 8 and 12 returned to class for preparing standardized exams.

18

Micro-entrepreneurship is also a key sector for the country and its population. As of 2017, the informal

sector in Kenya represented 83.1 % of the country’s total labor force (Kenya National Bureau of

Statistics, 2017), which is due to limited employment opportunities in the formal sector. Young people

represent an important workforce, who could significantly contribute to the economic growth of the

country; nevertheless, this great resource is not utilized. The youth unemployment is one of the greatest

challenges of the country since it is 70% of the total unemployment in Kenya. Those who work (60% of

the men and 40% of the women approximately) are mainly doing small or casual jobs. In this context,

many Kenyans are forced to launch their own informal, micro businesses to be able to survive. However,

these businesses are generally unsustainable, as their (often improvised) owners, have not received any

– or much training, support or monitoring in the implementation of their activity. Training and coaching

in micro-entrepreneurship is therefore greatly needed to generate employment, transit towards formal

economy and increase efficiency.

The growing young population also puts pressures on natural resources. It is crucial that environmental

issues are adequately incorporated into initiatives and investments in the education sector in a

transversal way. Education for example is a key entry point for raising public awareness on the

importance of environmental health and environment-related rights (World Bank Kenya Country

Environmental Analysis, 2019). Next to this, the education sector also plays a role in providing the

necessary human resources for a greener economy (e.g. technicians for solar panel system installations).

There is scope to include a focus on environmental sustainability and environmental justice in curricula.

Education institutions could play an essential role in environmental awareness among the generations

of today and tomorrow. This is similar for gender, where it is not only necessary to look at numerical

balances, but it also requires looking at the content of the curricula and the values put forward in

educational institutions for promoting gender equality.

Looking from the perspective of Agenda 2030, our focus on education links most explicitly with SDG4

“Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning”. Next to education being a

goal on its own, it is also a key enabler for achieving all other SDGs, as quality education is the

foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development. Research shows that SDG4 is one

of the goals with the highest number of

strong positive correlations with other

SDGs and creates a multiplier effect (see

figure 9). This is particularly true for

gender equality in education. In the

context of JSF Kenya, there is a clear link

with SDG 8, which puts forward decent

work for everyone and economic

growth, SDG 5, focusing on gender

equality, and SDG 6-13-14-15, focusing

on the biosphere. SDG 4 contributes also

(in)directly to all other SDGs.

Figure 9: Education and the multiplier effect (Financial Times, 2020)

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Culture

The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) have become a direct and indirect force in accelerating

sustainable human development (Glantz, 2019). Around the globe the creative economies – if well

nurtured – facilitate local and widespread sustainable economic development, structural economic

transformation, job creation and innovation. In addition, they can strongly contribute to social cohesion

and inclusion and empower people to take ownership of their own development.

It is thus not by chance that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make a clear reference to

culture (SDG 11.4). The safeguarding and promotion of culture is an end in itself, but at the same time

culture contributes directly to many of the SDGs —safe and sustainable cities, economic growth and

descent work, reduced inequalities, the environment, promoting gender equality and peaceful and

inclusive societies (Hosagrahar, 2017). The creative industries generate financial returns with minimal

production and distribution costs, help people escape poverty, and bolster cross cultural exchange and

understanding.

CCIs are generally inclusive as people from all social classes from the disadvantaged to the elite participate

in this economy as producers and consumers. Work in the sector also tends to favour youth and women

compared to other sectors (Kabanda, 2016; Hosagrahar, 2017). For example, women play a dominant role

in making creative products (baskets, mats, and other craftwork) in many developing countries, such as

Uganda (Kabanda, 2016). Moreover, the creative industry is also being used more frequently to promote

social integration and values.

The instrumental contribution of the CCIs to sustainable economic growth is dynamic and diverse.

Worldwide, the creative industries have become an increasingly important contributor to GDP growth

despite various challenges that limit revenues, especially in developing countries. Data shows, over the

past 15 years, that the creative economy is not only one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the

world economy, but also transformative in generating income, jobs and exports (Glantz, 2019).

According to the 2018 UNESCO Global Report “Re|Shaping Cultural Policies” (2017), CCIs account for

2,250 billion USD and employ 30 million people worldwide. Global trade in creative goods and services is

also increasing rapidly. Globalization and new technologies have accelerated cultural interactions among

countries and the export of creative goods has been growing. As such, strengthening trade in cultural

goods and services provides impetus for local and national markets, which in turn provides employment

opportunities for decent work (SDG 8.3 and 8.5) and promotes local production. Moreover, cultural

policies that promote preferential treatment in trade for locally-produced goods contribute to reducing

inequalities within and among countries (SDG 10).

The African Union aspiration of Agenda 2063 envisions an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common

heritage, shared values and ethics. It calls for an African cultural renaissance that incalculates the spirit

of Pan Africanism; tapping Africa’s rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major

contributors to Africa’s growth and transformation; and restoring and preserving Africa’s cultural

heritage, including its languages.

The Constitution of Kenya recognizes culture as the foundation of the nation and as the cumulative

civilization of the Kenyan people. It is stated that culture sets one of the foundations for the country’s

development, nurtures societal fabrics that hold the country together, while providing for economic

20

opportunities, national cohesion and the integration of national values. Cultural organisations and

networks of talent constitute a complementary role to contribute to human and social capital

development, next to education and training. The Kenya Youth Development Policy Framework of 2019

clearly emphasizes the important role of culture and performing arts for (youth) empowerment, next to

education and training. Creativity, talent and innovation are put forward as a huge strength of Kenyan

youth. This creativity potential should be tapped and nurtured to create alternative pathways of earning

a living. Culture and arts play a multifaceted role as engine of development, source of creativity,

innovation, community life, shared identities and social cohesion. They help to create more self-esteem,

tolerance, solidarity and peace. They promote freedom of speech and democratic debates.

The Constitution of Kenya equally protects creative freedom, alongside scientific and academic freedom.

In theory, this is a window of opportunity for the Cultural & Creative Industries to thrive without political

interference. To implement the constitutional provisions on traditional knowledge and to enable

communities to control the use of culturally significant and economically valuable knowledge and

expressions, Kenya passed the Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Act in 2018. This has

created a new form of intellectual property rights. Kenya is currently in the process of preparing

regulations for the implementation of the law.

Since 2019, the Ministry of Sports, Culture & Heritage, together with the Creative Economy Working

Group, has been working towards the development of a national CCIs legislative framework, which aims

to create awareness and evaluate the various policies and legislation shaping the CCIs in Kenya with a

view towards adapting the draft culture policy and draft culture bill to national needs and contexts in line

with regional and international guidelines.

As a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis, ResiliArt (UNESCO) has organized a series of important

international debates in Kenya on the sustainable growth of CCIs, focusing on the democratizing the digital

space and bridging the gap between policy and practice. The Kenyan Ministry has officially promised to

integrate a significant part of the recommendations stemming from the debates (e.g. prioritizing policy

frameworks for the CCIs, strengthening statistics and data collection, and formulating legislation for Status

of the Artist in line with UNESCO guidelines) into a Post-Covid 19 strategy for the CCIs, in collaboration

with KEPSA (Kenya Private Sector Alliance). Apart from that, the Kenya government has also released +/-

1 million USD to sustain the creative industries during the national lockdown.

Kenya is by far the economic and creative economy hub of East Africa. It is also a hub of continent-wide

significance. It has attracted major global brands including IBM, Google and Microsoft because it has the

universities, infrastructure and dynamism that make it a natural leader in the region. Kenya’s creative

sector is a vibrant one, brimming with talent and possibility, with a specific bustling young creative

scene. The creative sector offers tremendous potential for securing livelihoods through job creation,

financing, investment, trade opportunities as well as technological innovation - enhancing equitable

development for the bulging young population. It also has a very important cultural gay scene which

allows for direct interventions in the field of LGBTI and gender.

However, apart from these important developments and its potentials, why does the creative sector in

Kenya languish? Some challenges that bar Kenya from harnessing this burgeoning potential of the

creative economy are:

21

- Remaining policy and regulatory constraints

o Lack of coherent and legislative framework for the CCIs

o Limited protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights and copyrights

o Poor government policies on film licensing

o Limited support and promotion of local content development

- Lack of cohesiveness, collective leadership and weak associations within the CCI in view of

advocacy vis-à-vis public authorities to ensure the standards of the industry in a consistent

manner.

- Disunited and fragmented private sector associations

- Limited public and private investments in entrepreneurial skills for creative entrepreneurs and

cultural entreprise development.

- Limited commercialization of cultural and artistic creations

- Market access:

o Cultural value chains for local markets are not well developed.

o Lack of consumer appreciation of local content and low incomes

o Barriers to trade has hampered the ability of Kenyan cultural products and services to

penetrate global markets

o Kenyan market is a larger importer of cultural products from abroad – Trade deficit

- Infrastructural constraints: Inadequate institutional support and low investment funds for the

development of exhibition spaces and arts centers.

- High collateral requirements from commercial banks and private investors, which many early-

stage (small-medium) cultural entreprises are unable to meet. Many of them are considered

risky and are therefore attracting high interest rates.

2. Approaches

Joint Strategic Goal 1

Strengthen inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning and cultural opportunities for all

Approaches Actors

1A Improve learning outcomes and wellbeing of learners at school through effective professional development of teachers and school leaders

ACTEC/VVOB

1B Improve living conditions of fragile populations through education, particularly vocational training and innovative programmes on micro-entrepreneurship, relevant to the labour market needs

ACTEC

1C

Reinforce professionals working in cultural and creative sectors through strengthened management of cultural goods and services, diversified revenues and an improved policy environment for artists

Africalia

1D Encourage regional exchanges between educational/cultural institutions and professionals through networking and peer learning

ACTEC/Africalia/VVOB

1E

Contribute to an improved environmental awareness and environmental justice among the generation of today and tomorrow in Kenya

ACTEC/VVOB

1F Contribute to a more (gender) equitable and inclusive society with attention for those furthest left behind

ACTEC/Africalia/ASF/VVOB

22

While the interventions of ACTEC focus on a direct partnership with schools, VVOB as an institutional

actor works through intermediary partners like the Ministry of Education or teacher training institutions.

The partner schools of ACTEC are private institutions, while VVOB works through governmental

structures. This combination of policy and delivery level creates a strong position for experimenting and

piloting innovations in the education sector, while at the same time lobbying for an improved policy

environment to scale up successful innovations. The evidence from different levels can feed into each

other’s actions.

3. Specific risk analysis

Risks Probability (/4) Impact (/5) Level (/20) Management measures

Political tensions related to the election process and post-election outcomes in 2022 have a negative impact on the security situation

3 3 9 BNGAs closely follow up of the security situation at the level of the partners. BNGAs install security measures for staff working in Kenya or travelling to Kenya. BNGAs support diplomacy actions through information sharing while remaining neutral in external communication.

Inconsistency between the ambitions of the education strategic plan and the limited budget available to implement improvements for quality education

3 3 9 BNGAs set up partnerships with international donors and with Kenyan companies for additional funding to achieve quality education.

2nd or 3rd wave Covid-19 measures results in new school closures, lock down measures and mobility restrictions

2 3 6 BNGAs continue with the online (re)development of interventions and programmes. BNGAs strengthen the digital literacy skills of partners. BNGAs closely follow up on the well-being and motivation of beneficiaries during continued online training trajectories.

Lack of specific data for identifying the populations most left behind and excluded in Kenyan partner schools

4 2 8 BNGAs establish (inter)national research partnerships for improving the evidence base of interventions. BNGAs connect with multilateral institutions and internationals donors to share data.

Affordability of education remains a crucial barrier for improving access to higher levels of education and to private education institutions Interlinkage SDG 1 End poverty and SDG 4

3 2 6 BNGAs implement a scholarship system. BNGAs develop income-generating activities at school to improve the financial sustainability.

Improved access for youth to education can conflict with

2 3 6 BNGAs follow-up on reasons for drop-out in education.

23

family labor demands and income Interlinkage SDG 1 End poverty and SDG 4

BNGAs connect with actors which focus on strengthening household coping strategies.

Negative impact of the school closures during Covid-19 lock-down results in high drop-out rates, especially for girls (e.g. due to early pregnancy) Interlinkage SDG 4 and SDG 5 Gender

3 3 9 BNGAs improve and promote online learning, also for practical courses (e.g. with online simulators). BNGAs raise awareness among families and the communities on the importance of education, also for girls. Reintegrate out-of-school students into the school circuit.

General negative impact on the economy due to COVID-19, leading to less employment opportunities, more layoffs as well as poor working conditions Interlinkage SDG 4 and SDG 8 Decent Work

4 3 12 BNGAs dialogue with partnering companies to preserve decent work circumstances and current formalization initiatives. BNGAs follow up on employment rates of graduates from partner institutions.

Dependency on (clean) energy provision for improving the learning circumstances at school and at home (in the case of online learning) Interlinkage SDG 4 and SDG 7 Energy

3 3 9 BNGAs introduce solar energy trainings at partner schools. BNGAs discuss the issues of energy provision during formal partner consultations.

24

3.2. JOINT STRATEGIC GOAL 2: HUMAN RIGHTS, GOVERNANCE AND JUSTICE

1. Specific context analysis

Vision 2030 locates the justice sector under its third pillar. Under the second Medium Term Plan (MTP 2)

2013- 2017, key reforms of the justice sector were carried out. This included the passing of a new Legal

Aid Bill in March 2016, which gave effect to the right to a fair hearing as in Article 50 of the Constitution.

Legal aid (legal counselling, legal assistance and public legal education) is currently delivered mainly

through Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under different arrangements operating through local

networks. The CSO’s coverage is patchwork and tends to be skewed towards urban centres. The 2016

Legal Aid Bill initiated a reform (in progress) of the delivery of legal aid, under a semi-autonomous National

Legal Aid Service spearheaded by the Department of Justice and working with CSOs.

Over the last years, the Kenyan Judiciary has reaffirmed its independency from the executive branch of

government in several cases. Whereas magistrates in local courts still face, and remain vulnerable to,

influence from economic and political elites, the Judiciary as an institution has been able to demonstrate

its ambition to adhere to the Rule of Law, and its ability to challenge acts by the Executive. Likewise, the

Law Society of Kenya remains a strong and independent institution, striving to ensure the Right to a fair

hearing and other key features of the Rule of Law.

In spite of positive reforms, the justice sector still faces many challenges. With a 202% occupation rate

(Prisons Insiders), prisons face a structural and massive overcrowding situation. This results in serious and

continuous violations of the prisoners’ rights, of which a large chunk (44%, World Prisons Brief) are pre-

trial detainees, i.e. innocents until proven otherwise. This situation stems from repressive policies that

tend to criminalize the poor and the vulnerable. Vulnerability to abusive practices of arrest and detention

is multi-faceted but tends to affect disproportionately young men and informal economic actors, in

particular in urban centers. The practice of “catch and release” by the police brings large number of people

in detention for a short period of time, with almost no perspective for actual prosecution. This is analyzed

as both a policy of domination over the “unproductive masses” of the youth, and informal economic actor,

and a diversion of the means of criminal justice towards economic gains for the law enforcers, through

informal practices of negotiated releases (National Council on the Administration of Justice, 2016). A deep

change in the practices of arrest by the police but also an awareness-raising of the socio-economic impact

of these abuses for society at large could foster the implementation of positive policy reforms.

Kenya shows a high incarceration rate with 114 detainees for each 100 000 habitants, the second highest

in the East African Community after Rwanda. Most of Kenyan detainees are detained for minor offences,

often in (selective) enforcement of archaic colonial laws (The Conversation, 2017). Likewise, the majority

of the case backlog is believed to be due to criminalization of petty offences (UNDP, Programme for Legal

Aid Delivery). Among the new trends, concern is growing around the exploitation of detainees’ labor

(Gathara, 2019) and the rise of a prison industrial complex that relies increasingly on the private sector to

operate detention facilities (Mungai, 2020).

Other challenges in the justice sector include: (1) the low number of justice practitioners available in the

country, in particular in the North and rural areas; (2) the low level of citizen trust in the justice system,

which is largely seen as corrupt, (3) the low-level awareness of legal aid structures such as the National

legal aid service, and (4) the hybrid nature of justice mechanisms. About the latter, most of Kenya’s

25

population rely on community-based justice mechanisms to handle their disputes and ascertain their

rights. This implies a need to coordinate and integrate both State-based (also known as “formal justice”)

with Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR, also known as “informal justice”) mechanisms. This situation

presents a risk of discrimination for certain groups in ADR practice. This is particularly true for women and

youth, as such mechanisms are often constituted of local leadership, which due to the patriarchal nature

of social structures, is almost exclusively made of older male. On the other hand, the prevalence of ADR

is also an opportunity to enhance access to justice, by recognizing organic mechanisms, that are cheap,

“owned” and available throughout the country. In Uganda, ASF has charted a pathway towards better

integration of ADR within the Rule of Law environment. This relies on a two-pronged approach whereby

(1) the practice within ADR is made more inclusive, through the consolidation of its building blocks (what

to do at each step) and the mitigation of negative practices (e.g. resort to negative cultural norms that

can discriminate against a specific group), and (2) ADR is further integrated within the larger access to

justice pathways, that is with the Justice delivered in Courts through increased dialogue between justice

practitioners and the promotion of a foreseeable and inclusive practice of ADR.

The Kenyan justice environment also presents strong counter-powers and a dynamic civic space. This is

particularly due to a rich and a professional media environment, and a well-organised and long-existing

civil society. However, the space for democratic governance is shrinking under a growing phenomenon of

“securization” of public governance. Securization refers to the increasing role of security forces in public

administration, and the use of criminal justice to manage social issues (Baraka, 2020). Attacks and

intimidation against Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), journalists and leading CSOs have multiplied over

the last years (Defend Defenders). In particular, HRDs active in the area of natural resources management

have been particularly threatened, with several deaths reported (Defend Defenders).

Indeed, the drive towards economic development often comes at the expense of the rights of local, or

Project-affected populations (PaPs). Predatory practices around natural resources are increasing, in

particular around land and often with the complicity of political elites. In a pre-existing context of poor

legal awareness, lack of access to courts and scarcity of legal representation populations living in rural

areas find it especially hard to ascertain their rights and to hold a bargaining position in the land

management processes (commercial acquisition, compulsory acquisition, trust development etc.).

Indigenous communities and pastoralist groups, in as far as their livelihoods often rely on cultural rather

than legal norms, are particularly vulnerable in such contexts. A deliberate effort is necessary not only to

reach these groups, but to promote their specific rights as prescribed under national and international

instruments. Indeed, the Government tends to side with investors and business promoters in case of

dispute with PaPs, which makes it harder for them to access any sort of remedies (judicial or non-

judicial). The growing scarcity of arable land and access to water tends to increase the pressure on local

population and to fuel predation. The ongoing privatization of large tracts of public land also has an

impact on the environment, like wildlife that is now more and more confined to nature reserves. The

connectivity for wildlife between nature reserves is decreasing, adding extra pressure.

The Joint Strategic Goal 2 is directly linked to Sustainable Development Goal 165, in particular its targets

16.3 “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice

5 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

26

for all”; 16.6 “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels”; 16.10 “Ensure

public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation

and international agreements” and 16.b “Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for

sustainable development”. As evidenced by research from the Danish Institute for Human Rights, which

links international human rights monitoring systems with sustainable development, the majority of

these recommendations link with SDG 16. SDG 16 is also indirectly linked to achieving SDG 5 (gender

equality), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities, with a focus on ending discrimination and ensuring equal

opportunities) and SDG 6-13-14-15, focusing on the biosphere.

2. Approaches

Joint Strategic Goal 2

Support Kenyan communities, civil society organisations and independent human rights institutions to foster access to justice and demand for good governance

Approaches CSO/IA

2A Strengthen access to justice mechanisms at community, local and national levels, through improving justice processes, supporting and empowering justice seekers and communities

ASF

2B Reinforce the capacity of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to monitor, report and address violations of human rights

ASF

2C Contribute to the protection and promotion of Human rights defenders, specifically in the context of natural resource exploitation

ASF

2D

Support constructive dialogues around human rights issues between communities, private sector, civil society organizations, justice actors, community leaders and elected representatives

ASF

2E Promote the adoption of positive policy reforms in the security and justice sectors, in particular in the areas of detention and natural resources management

ASF

2F Contribute to a more (gender) equitable and inclusive society with attention for those furthest left behind

ACTEC/Africalia/ASF/VVOB

3. Specific risk analysis

Risks Probability (/4) Impact (/5) Level (/20) Management measures

Repressive laws and policies seriously impede the BNGAs or their local partners ability to operate

3 4 12 BNGAs provision resources (legal counselling, tax audit etc.) to ensure their compliance with laws and policies. BNGAs coordinate their actions in relation to compliance. BNGAs establish interface with the NGO Coordination Board.

CSOs refuse to work with BNGAs

1 4 4 Partners are partly identified on their interest in working with BNGAs.

Corruption within the Justice sector impedes the efficiency of legal assistance

2 3 6 A strict anti-corruption policy is in place and will guide implementation. All stakeholders involved (lawyers, paralegals etc.) are required to comply with the

27

policy. ASF has demonstrated its ability to make progress on cases without feeding corruption, which will apply here. Cases of demands for bribes will be reported to the highest degree of judicial authority.

Partners and beneficiaries face intimidation as result of their work with BNGAs

3 4 12 BNGAs will develop thorough risk analysis and management processes. BNGAs will inter alia deliver protection support to their beneficiaries. BNGAs will work in coordination with protection network and organisations.

Lack of specific data for identifying the populations most left behind and excluded in the Kenyan justice sector

4 2 8 BNGAs establish (inter)national research partnerships for improving the evidence base of interventions. BNGAs connect with multilateral institutions and internationals donors to share data.

28

4. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER JSFS

JSF Kenya has relationships with 3 thematic JSFs and regional links with neighboring countries.

4.1. THEMATIC JSF DECENT WORK (SDG 8)

1. Definition of decent work

The thematic reference framework for the Decent Work JSF is the

Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Decent Work can be summed up as

follows:

Decent Work: Productive and freely chosen employment; Which provides an income sufficient to cover family needs; Which includes social protection; Which respects fundamental rights at work, including freedom of association and the right to participate in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs); Which includes equal treatment of all workers without making any distinctions based on sex, age, origin, political or religious beliefs; Which includes health and safety provisions in the workplace. The Decent Work Agenda is based on four pillars, some of which overlap, with gender and environment being cross-cutting themes: 1. Creating decent and productive jobs, 2. Guaranteeing rights at work, 3. Extending social protection, 4. Promoting social dialogue.

2. The common strategic goal of the Decent Work JSF

The actors of the Decent Work JSF will – via their DGD-programmes – contribute to one common goal: Promoting decent work for a sustainable, fair, solidarity-based and inclusive development: creating jobs, guaranteeing labour rights, expanding social protection and promoting social dialogue for all.

3. Actors of the Decent Work JSF in Kenya

(Indicative - to be confirmed after approval of programmes by Minister Kitir)

3.1. Belgian CSOs: ISVI-IFSI (ABVV-FGTB)

3.2. National partner-CSOs of the Belgian CSOs:

Belgian

CSO

Kenyan partner – CSO

Type of organisation Target group(s) Focus Decent

Work Pillar(s)

IFSI-ISVI Kenya Engineering Workers’ Union – KEWU - Trade Union

Workers in the

metal/engineering sector

2-3-4

IFSI-ISVI Central Organisation of Trade Unions – COTU-K Trade Union Confederation

Workers in the plantation

and agricultural, textile,

transport sectors…

2-3-4

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IFSI-ISVI Dock Workers Union – DWU, together with the International Transport Federation, African region – ITF-Africa DWU: Trade union ITF-Africa: Regional office of the Global Union Federation

Dock workers, all workers

in the ports

2-3-4

4. Priority challenges for Decent Work in the country as identified by the national partners-CSOs

The focus is on social dialogue, the pillar that will allow the partners to achieve results on the level of

the other pillars. Through negotiation, be it either bi-partite or tri-partite according to the context and

the needs, we will obtain rights for the workers with regard to their wages, their social protection, job

stability and their chances to have a decent life.

On the level of trade union rights:

- develop strategies to organize workers in the informal sector to better protect them - increase membership to better defend workers’ rights

On the level of social protection:

- negotiations with employers to conclude collective bargaining agreements - ensure that all workers have access to social protection - negotiate for stable labour contracts that enable workers to have access to social protection - negotiate protective measures for workers to prevent work related accidents - negotiate protective measures for workers against the negative effects of pandemics and other

social and economic crises

5. Key approaches of the Decent Work JSF in Kenya

Capacity development approaches of the Belgian CSOs

- Supporting and strengthening capacities of partners CSOs in Africa, the Middle-East, Asia, Latin America

and the Caribbean on different domains: technical, political, strategic, thematic and financial.

- Articulate and create multi-actor networks, promoting cooperation and organizing joint actions between

CSOs on the local, national, continental and international level.

- Design and carry out policy and advocacy actions– from problem analysis to implementation monitoring – regarding decent work on the national level, on the continental level and on the international level.

- Promoting social dialogue and citizen participation

- Sharing knowledge and committing to mutually learning about the programs and themes of decent work

- Promoting gender mainstreaming and specific actions in favour of equality between men and women

- Promoting 'environmental governance' of the partner CSOs in Africa, the Middle-east, Asia, Latin America

and the Caribbean

Capacity building and action approaches of the partner CSOs in KENYA

- Inform, organize, train and mobilize the target group and the beneficiaries - Develop the services to members and to beneficiaries :

o Job creation: Promote the social and solidarity economy o Labour rights: Popularize, raise awareness and train male and female workers on labour rights o Labour rights: Support the offering of quality legal services to male and female workers o Social Protection: Popularize, raise awareness and train male and female workers, vulnerable

individuals and political decision makers o Social dialogue: Promote unity in trade union action

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o Social dialogue: Strengthen the independence and democratic governance of workers’ organizations

o Social dialogue: Strengthen the capacities to represent, protect rights and make demands o Social dialogue: Promote the representation of women and youth in social dialogue

- Design and carry out policy and advocacy actions on the local, national, regional and international level - Promote social dialogue, collective bargaining and citizen participation

The common strategic theory of change to achieve decent work worldwide requires an approach that

links the local and national level with the regional and international level. At the national level, the

emphasis is on supporting and strengthening the partner-CSOs in achieving their Decent Work

objectives, their institutional anchoring and their role as CSO in their country. However, none of this is

possible without connecting with neighbouring countries, the region, the continent or the global level.

In our globalised world, the problems related to decent work do not stop at national borders. CSOs must

also play a role at regional, continental and international level so that the changes they seek to bring

about are sustainable for their members. Conversely, changes at the international or regional level can

be a lever for national changes, such as the ratification by countries of international agreements on

labour rights.

6. Opportunities for complementarity and synergy with the actors of the JSF of Kenya

Complementarity: The actors of the Decent Work JSF commit themselves : - to participate in consultation, exchange or learning events organized by the JSF of Kenya, where

relevant - to participate in the annual strategic dialogue of the JSF of Kenya.

The actors of the Decent Work JSF will therefore select one contact person towards whom all relevant

communications can be addressed and who will organize the follow up of the communications with the

fellow actors of Decent Work in Kenya.

The actors of JSF Kenya see an important link with the thematic JSF Decent Work at the level of formal

employment conditions. When graduating from educational institutions or being active in the cultural or

creatives sector, formal employment opportunities are scarce in Kenya. Supporting our Kenyan partners

in establishing the transition from informal to formal employment opportunities would improve the

sustainability of our actions. We believe that we can learn from the expertise of the thematic JSF Decent

Work in these fields.

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4.2. THEMATIC JSF RESILIENT SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (SDG6-13-14-15)

1. Short content of the JSF on resilient social-ecological systems

The focus of this JSF is on the resilience of

social-ecological systems and the

sustainable use of ecosystem services.

Better ecosystems and the sustainable use

of ecosystem services will contribute to an

improved well-being of local communities.

This framework is based on 4 SDGs

(sustainable development goals): n° 6

(clean water and sanitation), n° 13 (climate

action), n° 14 (life below water) and n° 15

(life on land). These 4 SDGs are considered

by the Stockholm Resilience centre as the

basis of all other SDGs. A healthy biosphere is a precondition for sustainable social and economic

development.

The Theory of Change is presented below. Changes in and by 10 types of actors are foreseen: indigenous

people and local communities; individual consumers; civil society; primary, secondary, and vocational

schools; research, universities, and higher education; cooperation and development actors; local

authorities; national authorities; international policy level; and private sector.

2. Common strategic goals in the thematic JSF

1. Improved rights, policies and governance of ecosystems and natural resources 2. Improved awareness, knowledge, skills about sustainable ecosystems 3. Strengthened sustainable access to, and management/use of ecosystem services 4. Ecosystem resilience is conserved and/or enhanced

(© Azote Images for Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2016)

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3. Members of the thematic JSF in Kenya

Member of thematic JSF Partners / type of partners Target groups / actors involved in changes

CEBioS Ministry of Environment Target public of the Ministry of

Environment and academics

4. Priority challenges for the thematic JSF in Kenya

According to the National Environments Management Authority’s Strategic Plan 2019-2024 focus on the

following result areas is key :

1) Environmental Quality, Protection and Conservation;

2) Ecological Integrity of Ecosystems;

3) Climate Change;

4) Environmental Governance and Coordination;

5) Green economy for Sustainable Development;

6) Institutional Capacity

The goals of the thematic JSF fit with those key result areas.

5. Key approaches for the thematic JSF in Kenya

CEBioS will work for the application of the Convention on Biological Biodiversity through collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, civil society and the scientific community for the implementation of the Clearing House Mechanism, the strengthening of multidisciplinary monitoring of biodiversity and of taxonomic knowledge and through actions to raise the awareness of communities as well as authorities and decision makers.

6. Interface between the thematic JSF and JSF of Kenya

Whenever an opportunity arises, CEBioS will inform the JSF members of publications relevant to the

country and of relevant courses, calls, exchanges or seminars.

The actors of JSF Kenya see an important link with the JSF social-ecological ecosystems at the level of

outreach and awareness raising with JSG 1 and possibly at the level of lobby and advocacy with JSG 2.

The educational, cultural and creatives sector play a crucial role in improving awareness, knowledge,

and skills on sustainable ecosystems in the context of Kenya where pressure on natural resources is

enormous. Improved access to justice for defenders against natural resources exploitation is crucial for

improved community rights, policies, and governance of ecosystems and natural resources. We believe

that we can learn from the expertise of the thematic JSF social-ecological ecosystems in these fields.

Some topics can be the object of training sessions targeted at specific actors. Such training sessions

could treat subjects like agroecology, understanding of sustainable water usage, the governance of

biodiversity and climate, ... None of the members of the tJSF has a representative in Kenya, though with

the current experience with videoconferencing, this way of joint learning is certainly a possibility, if live

participation cannot be organized due to budgetary limitations etc.

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4.3. THEMATIC JSF HIGHER EDUCATION & SCIENCE (SDG 4-9)

1. Higher Education and Science for Sustainable Development and actors. Making use of their autonomy and right to initiate and innovate, two umbrella organisations (ARES and VLIR-UOS) and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) put forward the thematic JSF Higher Education and Science for Sustainable Development (JSF HES4SD). Drawing upon their longstanding common history, the JSF initiators aim to further unlock the huge developmental potential of higher education and science cooperation for sustainable development and make it accessible to other Belgian, local and international partners, in different ways: as partner in a multi-actor partnership, as scientific advisor to other partners’ projects, partners or policy bodies, as a platform for sharing state of the art scientific results, information, expertise and experience and for exploration of possibilities for synergy and complementarity. Together, the three JSF initiators represent 60 Belgian higher education institutions (HEIs), being 11 universities, 32 university colleges, 16 school of arts, and ITM. The partners they collaborate with in the selected 30 countries (see annex) are mainly universities, university colleges, school of arts, polytechnics, research and reference laboratories, scientific centres (including e.g. disease control programmes and public health institutes). All these institutions, including the three initiators, will be referred to as Higher Education and Science Institutes (HE&SIs). Through cooperation with civil society, private and public sector, HE&SIs contribute to the development of many sectors in society. ARES and VLIR-UOS as umbrella organizations with a wide variety of member institutions cover all academic and scientific fields. As they make use of competitive calls for several types of interventions they contribute to the full spectrum of SDGs. ITM is a key actor in Tropical Medicine and Public Health and will directly, but not only, contribute to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages). 2. Visualisation of Theory of Change (ToC)

3. The common Strategic Goals of the JSF HES4SD

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The long-term general objective of the JSF HES4SD is to significantly contribute to the achievement of the 17 SDGs and ultimately “increasingly equitable and inclusive societies”. To achieve this objective and starting from the specific expertise of the partners, the following six strategic objectives have been identified and will guide the specific interventions. Strategic Goal 1: Increased individual capacity. The increased individual capacity should be considered as the result of education or research activities of/by individuals mainly through scholarship programmes. It includes training on transversal competencies such as global citizenship, critical thinking, leadership skills, enabling scholars to become critical world citizens capacitated and motivated to actively engage in global society. Strategic Goal 2: Enabling individuals to act as change agents. This strategic goal expands on the knowledge that individuals embedded in organizations (private sector or public sector or civil society) have increased their potential to be change agents. Strategic Goal 3: Increased capacity at Higher Education and Science Institutions. Strengthening capacities of the HE&SIs in the following fields:

1. Increased research, education and service delivery capacity 2. Increased information, infrastructural and technological structures 3. Increased management capacity (governance, administration, finance) 4. Increased collaborative and networking capacity.

Strategic Goal 4: Enabling Higher Education and Science Institutions to operate as drivers of change. The HE&SIs activate their improved performance allowing them to operate as drivers of change aiming at a meaningful impact in society. This can be realized via both the co-creation, transfer and application of relevant knowledge (SG5), and/or via the science-society interface (SG6). Strategic Goal 5: Co-creation, transfer and application of relevant knowledge. The first four strategic goals significantly contribute to this key strategic goal. By putting strengths together and operating in synergy, the JSF enhances the creation and dissemination of relevant and state of the art knowledge across the HE&SIs worldwide, their local communities and international networks. Strategic Goal 6: Science-society interface strengthened. Information sharing and concerted actions amongst HE&SIs aim at cross-fertilisation between science and society. This can be facilitated through networks and platforms as connecting hub of knowledge, expertise and experience, and demand & supply interactions in view of applied solutions and evidence-based policies. Society is understood in its broader sense, namely all public, private and civil society actors beyond HE&SIs (e.g., enterprises, public decision makers, NGOs, the community at large). 4. Key approaches

1. Joint strategic framework HES4SD. The framework focuses on joining forces among Belgian academic actors and partners to contribute to academic inspired and science driven societal change linking HE&SIs with the broader society. This framework will gradually develop and remain dynamic to be responsive to opportunities and policy priorities.

2. High quality HES4SD partnerships and scholarship programmes. The respective actor programmes will include interventions such as: individual scholarship programmes; building research, teaching & training and service delivery capacity; strengthening information, infrastructural and technological structures; building management capacity; strengthening national and international academic and science-society interfaces and networking; policy

35

support, ... The country list in annex shows an indicative list of the countries where the three initiators envision to develop scholarship programmes only, or broader institutional programmes/projects.

3. Collective learning processes and synergy and complementarity. The JSF initiators will build and strengthen synergies and complementarities beyond the HE&SI partnerships and will define operational mechanisms to that purpose. The JSF initiators anticipate that the process of collective learning, synergy and complementary will be instrumental in achieving the outcomes and impact as defined in the ToC, in a more efficient and innovative way.

5. Opportunities for complementarity and synergy Firstly, complementarity and synergy will be explored and realized among the initiators and their members organisations and partners. They might cooperate and reinforce each other in the fields of joint research, teaching and management topics. Synergy might be created by the collaboration of several HE&SIs in specific project and programmes, as it happens in many current programmes. Secondly, the JSF HES4SD will explicitly seek for complementarities and synergies, beyond HE&SIs, with other governmental and non-governmental actors, both nationally and internationally. Active participation of these actors will be sought in specific projects and programmes to reinforce common objectives (complementarity) or to stimulate collaboration between academics/scientists and actors in the broader society (synergy). In the selection of possible partners for future projects and collaboration, synergy and complementarity will be considered. 6. Interaction with other JSF (geographical and thematic) The JSF initiators envisage to jointly organise at least three strategic dialogues in a partner country in consultation with the local partner HE&SIs, embassy and DGD. The initiators will consider hybrid modalities allowing global participation with minimal environmental impact. On this occasion an event open to Belgian and local development actors can be organized, focusing on the exchange of project results, networking among alumni and scholarship holders, identification of potential synergies and complementarities. The JSF initiators will further develop mechanisms to systematically share information on ongoing projects and on the launch and results of calls for scholarships and project proposals. We invite the actors of other JSFs to actively participate, make use of the platforms made available and come forward with specific requests for scientific advice, capacity building and collaboration with academic actors. We will also build on existing relations between the actors of the HES4SD thematic JSF and individual BNGA. Representatives and partners of the JSF HES4SD will participate in the strategic dialogues of other thematic and geographic JSFs according to requirements. The JSF initiators will actively support stakeholder and partner identification and engagement by facilitating contacts between HE&SIs and the Belgian, local and international development actors (incl. ENABEL, BIO, …) working in the country or region. The HES4SD JSF also puts forward primary point(s) of contact (see annex 2) to facilitate continued communication on the suggested approaches to synergy and complementarity in the future.

Annex: Indicative country list

Indicative list (2022-2026)

z Scholarship + project country

Scholarship (+ potential future project country)

x2 Scholarship country

Country VLIR-UOS ARES ITM Organisation(s) Email

Kenya z x2 VLIR-UOS annelien.gansemans@vliruos.be

Tentative approach by actor Primary point of contact for tJSF

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The actors of JSF Kenya see an important link with the JSF HES4SD at the level of promoting evidence-

based practices. The COVID-19 crisis reminds us of the importance of reliable data and robust evidence

to inform the choices we make, in policies and in daily practice. Rigorous research helps implementers

identify what works – and what doesn’t. For pilots and innovations to be scaled up, an important first

step is understanding how the innovation has worked in a certain context and how it can be adapted to

other contexts and needs. Partnerships between implementers and researchers are an essential pre-

condition in achieving better results for sustainable change, and in establishing an improved science-

society interface. We believe the thematic JSF HES4SD is of importance in establishing these

partnerships within JSF Kenya. Considering the current portfolio of VLIR-UOS in Kenya (and other

countries in the region), we also would like to connect with the expertise in the field of introducing

innovative solutions for natural resources management, with attention for waste and pollution

management (e.g. on biogas cooking installations for schools).

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4.4. REGIONAL LINKS

Kenya is a regional hub for the East-African region. At the level of the United Nations for example,

several regional offices are situated in Nairobi, next to the headquartered agencies of the United

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-

Habitat). Several international donors and regional networks also have offices in Kenya. This offers

interesting perspectives for setting up (multi-stakeholder) partnerships and for being involved in (high-

level) working groups.

Three members of JSF Kenya are also member of the neighbouring JSF Uganda and JSF Rwanda

(Africalia, ASF and VVOB). Information will be shared on regional initiatives undertaken by these actors.

Newcomers in JSF Kenya ASF and VVOB both have the ambition for working at regional level. ASF will

explore possibilities for digital legal aid services from Uganda to Kenya, while VVOB will explore

possibilities for regional capacity building on educational leadership with Rwanda and Kenya.

Regional initiatives which include Kenya are also being developed at the

level of other BNGAs. Rikolto joined JSF Kenya as an observer, because

their interventions in Tanzania and Uganda focus on sustainable and

inclusive food systems, which has a regional dimension. Kenya is the regional transport and food

processing hub for the region, so Rikolto is more frequently partnering up with Kenyan companies in this

field. In the other direction, food demands of the city of Nairobi are also linked with agriculture in

Northern Tanzania, which connects with the focus of Rikolto to work on the urban-rural dimension of

food systems.

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5. SYNERGY & COMPLEMENTARITY

Positive experiences at the level of operational synergies during the JSF 2017-2021 will be capitalized.

The involvement of partners from Africalia in developing communication materials for partners of other

BANGs (e.g. promotional or public awareness raising movies), resulted in establishing cooperation

between Kenyan partners. These initiatives will be further taken up and explored with new Kenyan

partners in the JSF 2022-2026.

During an online workshop organized in January 2021, members of JSF Kenya presented their individual

Theory of Change in order to exchange on recognition points, common ground and similar challenges

between the different organisations. This exchange allowed to identify opportunities for synergy and

complementarity. It was however difficult to further specify and detail the opportunities, considering

the start-up of both ASF and VVOB in Kenya. The members of JSF Kenya will further operationalize

synergies during the implementation of their programmes 2022-2026.

Geographical considerations could not yet be taken into account in identifying opportunities for synergy

and complementarity, as the region of intervention was not yet decided for by most members. Also

important to mention is that VVOB will be the first member with a country office in Kenya as of 2022,

while ASF is currently involved through its regional office in Uganda. This might also influence the future

dynamics of JSF Kenya, which is currently mainly Brussels based.

Being both active in the education sector, ACTEC and VVOB identified several complementarities which

reinforce each other. While the interventions of ACTEC focus on a direct partnership with schools, VVOB

as an institutional actor works through intermediary partners like the Ministry of Education or teacher

training institutions. The partner schools of ACTEC are private institutions, while VVOB works through

governmental structures. ASF partners are civil society organisations and independent human rights

institutions. Africalia works together with artists, creatives and grassroots organisations. This presents a

picture of very diverse and complementary partners, being active from the delivery level up to the

policy level.

JSG 1 and JSG 2 are also complementary in promoting active citizenship and strengthening the capacity

of rights holders to raise their voice and claim their rights. JSG 1 being directed at education, could be

seen as a more long-term approach, where citizens are equipped with skills (literacy, information,

professional skills, digital skills, …) to become active and engaged citizens (and for instance demand

good governance in the long run), and JSG 2 is seen as a more direct problem-solving or immediate

needs-based approach that promotes access to justice and supports people in claiming their rights when

issues or violations arise.

The members of JSF Kenya wish to present following opportunities for synergy at the start of 2022-

2026.

Opportunities for synergy Actors involved

Capacity development methods for partners ACTEC, Africalia, ASF, VVOB

Methods for improving the reach of an intervention (scaling,

networking, peer involvement…)

ACTEC, Africalia, ASF, VVOB

21st century skills for education ACTEC, Africalia, VVOB

39

Entrepreneurship for resilience ACTEC, Africalia

Digital skills and preparedness for COVID19 (e-learning, online art

promotion, digital legal aid services…)

ACTEC, Africalia, ASF, VVOB

Child protection policy development for partner school ACTEC, ASF

Training in arts for partner school ACTEC, Africalia

Expertise sharing on land rights ACTEC, Africalia, ASF, VVOB

Involvement of artists in the development of communication and

outreach materials

ACTEC, Africalia, ASF, VVOB

JSF Kenya will function as a platform where the different members regularly meet (online), to follow-up

on these opportunities for synergy and explore new opportunities in the future. The Strategic Dialogue

with the government will also offer a yearly opportunity for monitoring the implementation of JSF

Kenya.

The JSF 2017-2021 also considered synergy and complementarity at a broader level than the BANGs and

exchanged on cooperation with multilateral institutions, international donors, global companies,

international organizations, Kenyan initiatives, regional networks... We will continue to exchange on

these types of cooperation when following up on synergies and complementarities.

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6. COLLECTIVE LEARNING PROCESSES

The members of JSF Kenya recognize the importance of collective learning and the value of sharing their

experiences during the implementation of their programmes.

Looking back to JSF Kenya 2017-2021 and the lessons learned from collective learning processes, the

members of JSF Kenya realized that a different focus is needed for connecting with the theme of

“Decent Work”. The ILO-definition consisting of the 4 different pillars of decent work is a difficult match

as entry-point for the members of JSF Kenya, as their focus is not directly on creating jobs or setting up

social protection mechanisms. We therefore decided for this JSF 2022-2026, to connect with the

thematic JSF in another way (see chapter 4.1 and the suggestion on formal employment conditions).

At the end of 2020, results from the policy supporting research “SDGs as a compass for Belgian

development cooperation” were shared with the BANGs with a specific focus on Joint Strategic

Frameworks as a window of opportunity for working with the SDGs. During the January 2021 workshop

of JSF Kenya, one of the researchers was invited to share the findings of the research and to explore first

possibilities for using these findings in the context of JSF Kenya.

An important entry point for the exercise of integrating the SDGs, are the three underlying principles of

Agenda 2030:

1. Leave No One Behind: A specific effort is necessary to include everyone in sustainable

development. A focus on groups at risk of marginalization, by means of targeting and/or

mainstreaming, needs to ensure avoiding as much as possible to reinforce existing exclusion

mechanisms and to disadvantage already vulnerable or excluded groups.

2. Interlinkages: Reality is complex and a holistic approach may help identifying how progress in

one area can affect progress in another area. More conscious choices can be made by reflecting

on interconnectedness and indivisibility. This includes trying to capitalize on co-benefits

(positive effects) and avoiding trade-offs (negative effects).

3. Multi-stakeholder Partnerships (MSPs): MSPs can be used to act on interlinkages and LNOB,

since one type of actor cannot always address all challenges and risks. MSPs are a way to

achieve more systemic approaches which require collaboration across sectors. They are solely a

means to an end and never a goal in itself.

In view of identifying opportunities for synergy and complementarity, the members of JSF Kenya are

interested to further explore the principle of interlinkages in their work. A first introduction with

different analytical tools on interlinkages already

resulted in some additions to the JSF document, for

example at the level of the risk analysis of JSG1. The

interactions matrix of the Global Sustainable

Development Report 2019 gave an insight in possible

interlinkages. JSF Kenya actors are clearly positioned at

the “society-dimension” of the SDGs, with the ambition

of also exploring the linkages with the biosphere and

economy through different approaches in the JSGs and

by linking up with the expertise of actors from thematic

41

JSFs in these domains. The proposed synergies on digital skills, 21st century skills and entrepreneurship

also have a clear link with the economical dimension.

The principle of leave no one behind particularly resonates with the focus of the members of JSF Kenya.

It builds further on our experience and lessons learned at the level of integrating gender as a transversal

theme in the JSF 2017-2021. First explorations with the principle of leave no one behind and available

tools were done when elaborating the general context analysis. Special attention was given at the level

of formulating approaches and risks (see p.19-20, last 5 risks), which will now need to be translated in

our interventions and actions together with our Kenyan partners.

As for multi-stakeholder partnerships, exchanges on linking up with private sector actors, universities

and research institutions, international networks and non-Belgian partners already took place during JSF

2017-2021. We will continue with these exchanges for building up expertise in setting up MSPs. Our

further reflection on the two other principles will also make it possible to identify potential new

partners.

The members of JSF Kenya wish to further explore the SDG principles as an opportunity for collective

learning in the coming 5 years. We consider this as three learning trajectories: one for each principle.

Following tables presents some first explorations on working modalities and learning indicators for

these 3 topics.

Learning topic Learning methods Indicators

Interlinkages (e.g. between JSG

1, JGS 2 and energy,

environment, poverty, decent

work, inequality…)

Capacity building of JSF members

and their partners

Experiment with existing tools

Exchange workshop

Number of members and

partners involved in the activities

Number of tools used and

reviewed during the

experimentation phase

Number of members and

partners contributing to the

workshop

Number of newly identified co-

benefits and trade-offs in the

context of JSF Kenya

Number of updates and

adjustments in the JSF Kenya

document related to

interlinkages

Leave no one behind (e.g. on

systemic and structural causes

for inequalities, on intersecting

factors of inequalities, on

dimensions of exclusion…)

Capacity building of JSF members

and their partners

Research for evidence-base on

marginalized groups

Learning seminar

Number of members and

partners involved in the activities

Number of research reports

elaborated

Number of marginalized groups

identified in the relevant sectors

of JSF Kenya

42

Number of newly identified

discriminating factors in the

relevant sectors of JSF Kenya

Number of updates in the JSF

Kenya document related to leave

no one behind

Multi-stakeholder partnerships

(e.g. with different types of

partners, through a regional

approach…)

Collection of best practices

Sectoral stakeholder mapping

Networking event

Exchange workshop

Number of best practices

collected

Number of newly established

partnerships with other types of

stakeholders

Number of updates in the JSF

Kenya document related to leave

no one behind

The members of the JSF Kenya intend to exchange intensively on these issues, if necessary by consulting

external expertise, and to support each other through peer-learning.

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