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LESSON

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

A part of the project entailed translating sections of the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network website into Swahili to increase access to voter education. However, the Swahili site ended up not generating much traffic. Part of the reason was the lack of publicity and outreach. Another was the lack of relevance for local CSO’s in Kenya. All of the Kenyans interviewed said they would rather access technical information in English because Swahili did not have the technical vocabulary needed.
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
May 2013
Country