UN Women Consultancy to Undertake Preparation of the 1st Council of Governors Devolution Report in Kenya

Terms of Reference for a Consultant to Undertake Preparation of the 1st Council of Governors Devolution Report in Kenya

1.0 Background  

Pursuant to section 19 of the Inter-Governmental Relations Act 2012, The Council of Governors is established with the mandate to provide a mechanism for consultation amongst County Governments, share information on performance of the counties in execution of their functions, facilitate capacity building for governors, and consider reports from other intergovernmental forums on national and county interests amongst other functions (Section 20) 

The 1st COGDR should present a preliminary assessment of the progress of Devolution towards the achievement of objects and principles of the devolved government. 

It should include in depth analytical reviews of current policy implementation, institutional change and resource allocations. 

Data for this report should take into consideration information available from diverse sources such as reports prepared by national government, strategic agencies/ partners and individual county strategic plans.
 

2.0 Aim and Objectives: 

The main purpose the CODGR is twofold; public information and social mobilization.

It is a tool for awareness raising, advocacy, alliance building, and renewal of political commitment at the County level, as well as to build national capacity for monitoring and reporting on progress.
 

3.0 Scope of Work
 

The Consultant will review and assess:
 

1. The progress made by the County Governments in fulfilling agreed objectives through the planned activities;

2. The process of devolution preparation and design and its relevance to the National Government. 

3. Efficiency and effectiveness with which resources have been used to generate results and achieve devolution objectives with special emphasis on impact and sustainability. 

4. Support the COG and Ministry of Devolution and Planning to draw lessons for future support in the surveillance of the County Governments. 

The monitoring and evaluation report is also expected to measure the impact of the project upon the livelihoods of beneficiaries, including the impact of the devolution institutional capacity building programs.

The Task
 

As part of the consultancy team, the gender specialist will be expected to;
 

1. Review of national government policies and recommended policy alignments needed to achieve devolution with key focus on gender equality and women empowerment issues. 

2. Undertake desk review of existing documents and policies that will contribute to the 1st report and assess the effectiveness and efficiency of mechanisms of coordination of devolution and highlight achievements as well as identify gaps including gender equality and women’s empowerment perspectives. 

3. Undertake consultations with key stakeholders including key personnel of County Government, National Government, development partners and Civil Society Organizations-gender advocates; to identify major factors that influenced the implementation of devolution and their implication on future interventions. 

4. Identify root causes for the Devolution goals least likely to be achieved in view of the current practices and activities and recommend policies to avert the barriers. Critically review the roles and responsibilities played by the various players and stakeholders in devolution implementation. The review of the roles and responsibilities should be linked to institutional mechanisms and implementation arrangements that were put in place to facilitate the delivery of Devolution objectives by COG. This should also provide the extent to which these roles and responsibilities advance gender equality. 

5. The review should also identify effectiveness and efficiency of capacity development and institutional strengthening measures, including those that advance gender equality, put in place for the COG Secretariat and Member Counties to implement the devolution mandate. 

6. Provide specific recommendations related to the monitoring of the Counties in devolution implementation and highlight lessons learned from devolution for future policies and strategies on Win - Win interventions. Interrogate which gender markers or indicators have been used or are under consideration. 

7. Finalize the report based on the comments of the key stakeholders including the technical committee highlighting lessons learnt in the first year and make recommendations 

8. Draft the COGDR in English and produce a popular version. 

9. Assist in the layout and the design of the report 

10. Participate and provide necessary input where required in national events to launch and discuss
 

4.0 Output – deliverables
 

The Consultant shall provide:-

• A draft Inception Report 3 weeks after commencement of the assignment. 
• Draft indicators to assist COG in assessing achievements in Member Counties 
• Final Report not later than 2 weeks after the completion of the assignment

5.0 Time Schedule
 

The assignment is for a period of 30 days. Commencing 23rd June 2014 to 31st August 2014.

6.0 Key Performance Indicators
 

The consultants will provide; The 1ST COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS DEVOLUTION REPORT IN KENYA
 

7.0 Evaluation Criteria:
 

7.1 The Consultant The Consultancy will consist of three consultants. 

The team leader should at the minimum have a Masters Degree in public policy or law and have at least 10 years’ experience in public service management in Kenya. Other members of the team should preferably hold post graduate qualifications in the fields of Social Sciences.
 

Based on the above, the ideal consultant (gender specialist) for this assignment should preferably have a Masters degree in the field of Gender, human rights, law, social and must have demonstrable extensive experience in undertaking similar work. 

In addition to this the applicant should have:- 

• At least 10 years of work experience in developing issues 
• At least 10 years working experience in gender mainstreaming especially in decentralized structures or local government. 
• Outstanding Interpersonal, analytical and communication skills required to train / coach staff and give occasional presentations. 
• Experience and skills in training and transfer of knowledge 
• Outstanding report writing skills 
• Ability to follow deadlines, accuracy and attention to detail 
• A high level of literacy and proficient in written and spoken English and Kiswahili and demonstrable capacity to work with diverse stakeholders-including Government of Kenya officials. 
• Strong analytical skills including analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills required to meet deadlines. 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team. 
• A high level of Competence in Information Technology (IT).

8.0 Timeline
 

Duration: The consultant will work for 30 days from 23rd June 2014 to 31st August 2014.

Timelines for the Consultant

Activities	No. of Days	Qty	Total Days	Delivery Schedule 2014	Responsible Party	Remarks
1. Briefing Meetings	1	1	1	18th June	Technical team (UN Women, COG & Drivers for accountability)	Deliverables and timelines to be agreed upon
2. Report Compilation	21	1	21	June – July 2014	Consultant	As Above
3. Validation of draft report by COG	3	1	3	July 2014	Consultant	As Above
4. Review based on COG validation input	4	1	4	July 2014	Consultant	As Above
5. Submission to COG after validation by technical team	1	1	1	July 2014	Consultant & technical team	As Above
Total Days	30	1	30

9.0 Application Process
 

Applications should be sent to: consultancies.eharo@unwomen.org with the subject line clearly marked
“GDR / KCO 2014”
 

The deadline for submission of applications is COB 18th June 2014.