RAPID+ Intro
Click the above link to see a two-page summary of the new $15.3 Million Kenya RAPID Plus Program, launched in March 2022!
See below for background on the launch our acclaimed 2015-2020 Kenya RAPID Program, which brought services to more than 650,000 Kenyans:
The New 5-Year MWA Partnership in Kenya:
Kenya RAPID (Kenya Resilient Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development)
Kenya RAPID is a five-year development program bringing together public and private institutions to increase access to water and sanitation for people and water for livestock, and to rebuild a healthy rangeland-management ecosystem.
Kenya RAPID strongly supports the Ending Drought Emergencies Common Program Framework launched by the Government of Kenya in November 2015, recognizing that “sustainable management of rangelands, water, crops, and increasing the contribution of livestock to the pastoral economy are critical to resilient livelihoods in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).”
From 2015 through 2020, Kenya RAPID will focus on five Northern Counties with high poverty rates, chronic food and water insecurity, and low access to basic services: Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana and Wajir.
It seeks to increase the average water access coverage in the five counties from 37% to more than 50%. The program is designed to create a model that can be adapted for use by other counties.
Three strategic objectives (SOs) will guide the program:
- SO 1: A responsive and accountable governance framework is in place and operational at county government level that ensures sustainable provision of water and pasture;
- SO 2: Replicable and scalable business models for sustainable WASH and livestock service delivery have been developed and operationalized; and
- SO 3: Communities have increased access to sustainable WASH services and improved range-land management.
Kenya RAPID embodies these principles:
1. Strong county institutions are a necessary pre-condition to long-term WASH sustainability;
2. Enhanced coordination and integration of development programs across sectors will result in more-coherent and efficient support to county governments, increasing their impact;
3. Private-sector participation in the WASH and livestock sectors will increase investment and options for improved and financially viable water-service delivery;
4. Communities must be empowered with the knowledge and ability to exercise rights and responsibilities for water and
range-land resources.
The identification of gaps, prioritization of needs, definition of strategic objectives, and the program’s technical approach were developed in a collaborative process led by the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) in consultation with national and county governments, donors, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
Kenya RAPID rejects the “business-as-usual” approach to development. All five counties and every one of the
partners is a co-investor: human capital, financial capital, software, equipment, and other organizational resources will be collectively engaged. At least US$35.5 million will be invested through Kenya RAPID.
County governance is at the heart of Kenya RAPID:
This program also marks a significant shift in role of MWA members, which as NGOs, are often direct program implementers. In Kenya RAPID, NGOs instead facilitate a program that is implemented by county governments for delivery of water and sanitation services under the 2010 Constitution of Kenya.
This shift is reflected in the day-to-day operational “heart” of the program – a County Coordination Unit located within each county’s administrative headquarters; a program decision-making structure that prioritizes national and county government representation and authority; and the provision for the direct transfer of program funds to county governments to support the program’s objectives.
Summary:
Program Budget: $35.5 Million
Duration: September 2015 – September 2020
Number of Beneficiaries: 450,000
Program Areas: Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana, Wajir
Government Partners:
Development Partners (members of MWA):
Development Partners (members of MWA):
Private Sector Partners:
Kenya RAPID Contacts:
USAID: Martin Mulongo, WASH Specialist, Office of Economic Growth (OEG)
Email: mmulongo@usaid.gov
Phone: + 254-20-8622015 / +254-708-284229
Web: www.usaid.gov/kenya
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC): John Nyachieo, Programme Officer WASH
Email: john.nyachieo@eda.admin.ch
Phone: +254-706-210297; +254-723-137486
Web: www.swisscooperation.admin.ch/hornofafrica
Millennium Water Alliance Kenya: Doris Kaberia, Chief of Party, Kenya RAPID
Email: doris.kaberia@mwawater.org
Phone: +254-728-272279 / +254-733-226393
Web: www.mwawater.org/programs