FIGURE 4. Outcome 1 expenditure by fund category 2018-21 (US$ million) $0.2 $3.7
Finding 1. The UNDP democratic governance programme in Kenya is aligned with the clear devolution mandate of the Government. Important contributions have been made in capacity development for improved service delivery, including strengthening transparency and accountability at subnational level, but there are gaps in the attainment of the four programme outputs.
$11.1
UNDP work on governance and devolution supports the objectives and priorities of the Government of Kenya in establishing devolved government through 47 county governments, which has been under implementation since Government cost sharing 2013, and includes the transfer of functions to $0.3 Other Resources county governments, preparation of a devoRegular Resources Vertical Trust Funds lution policy and alignment of sectoral laws Bilateral/Multilateral Funds to the Constitution. 25 Nevertheless, devolution has not been without its challenges, with Source: Atlas project data, Power BI, as of 11 November 2021 a public perception survey indicating that 75 percent of respondents felt that devolution had led to better service delivery, and 87 percent that it had also accelerated corruption and the misuse of public funds.26 The Outcome aims to enhance county capacity to implement components of an inclusive and participatory devolution process, including empowering citizens to effectively engage with the Government. UNDP has chosen to work with a wide variety of stakeholders, including national and local governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), other United Nations agencies and donors. Collaboration and coordination with all partners provided greater sectoral expertise, resources and networks. $19.4
The UNDP strategy of strengthening capacity is highly appropriate because of the capacity gaps at county level, but some partner interviewees noted that UNDP ‘technical support’ is heavily oriented towards funding workshops and seminars and paying for consultants and personnel. This could be described as a ‘substitutive’ approach rather than one that focuses on developing local capacity, which is the essential purpose of the project. This may indicate some confusion, as training could take place in a workshop setting. UNDP has conducted several trainings in areas such as performance management and the development of performance contracts, legislative drafting, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers and SDG indicators. This is in keeping with the outputs and activities in relevant project documents. A Training of Trainers approach has often been taken, which enhances the sustainability of lessons learned and facilitates county-to-county learning on best practices in performance management.27
25
26 27
The following laws were reviewed: The County Government Act 2012; Transition to Devolved Government Act 2012; Urban Areas and Cities Act 2011; Public Finance Management Act 2012: Inter-governmental Relations Act 2012; the National Government Coordination Act 2013. In addition, model laws and guidelines on legislation were prepared and shared with counties. Quoted in United Nations (2021) Common Country Analysis Report for Kenya, Synthesised Draft, p. 18. UNDP (2020) Strengthening Devolved Governance in Kenya, Progress Report, March-August 2020.
CHAPTER 2. FINDINGS
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