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LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Governance and Democratization Processes in Kenya and the East and Central Africa Region

While developing an electoral knowledge resource in Swahili seemed to be a good use of resources, this was not the case since there was no demonstrated need for this resource in Swahili and the targeted beneficiaries were not made aware that the website and translations existed. Use statistics of the website were low and none of the Kenyans interviewed outside of the grantee knew the translations existed. The Kenyans interviewed said they relied on English technical material because Swahili is still a developing language and does not have the technical vocabulary.
Project Partner
Institute For Education In Democracy
Project Description
The main objective of the project was to strengthen the capacity grassroots organizations, and enhance the participation of citizens in governance to promote a democratic culture in Kenya and in eastern and central Africa. While some project activities were highly relevant and empowering to individual beneficiaries, others lacked follow-up. Among the project’s successes were the election observation trainings which had a multiplier effect with grassroots organizations. Following the workshop trainings, 12 observation groups were established to monitor the Kenyan election of 2013, all of which later obtained a long-term accreditation status as election observers. In general, the project was activity-driven which made outcomes and institutional impact difficult to assess. Project design showed some weaknesses, as several challenges that appeared during implementation could have been anticipated by the grantee beforehand. For example, the shortage of staff and a better coordination with the electoral timeline in Kenya could have ensured a smoother implementation.
Evaluation Date
November 2013
Country