Friday, January 10, 2014




By ERIC

LUNGAI VIHIGA COUNTY, KENYA: Vihiga Members of the County Assembly want the House’s interim Clerk Josphat Musambayi shown the door. Led by Majority Leader Andrew Ahuga, the MCAs said they were dissatisfied with the way the clerk was running the affairs of the assembly even as Musambayi defended himself against incompetency claims. “We are lagging behind because of the way the county assembly conducts its affairs thanks largely to the interim clerk’s incompetence. We want him sacked and someone who is competent can help us move forward,” said Mr Ahuga, who is also the North Maragoli Ward Representative. The MCAs were addressing journalists in the assembly hall after the Speaker, Daniel Chitwa, adjourned the sittings for lack of a quorum, as the Leader of Majority sought to move a motion to impeach the clerk. Ahuga noted that the clerk had caused confusion in the House by contradicting motions that are passed by the members.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/thecounties/article/2000099790/vihiga-mcas-want-clerk-shown-the-door-over-incompetence
“The refurbishing of the county assembly is taking place without proper planning and millions of shillings are disappearing into individual pockets,” the aggrieved Ahuga said. But Musambayi, in a separate interview, blamed the stand-off with MCAs on what he termed miscommunication. “I am currently organising a meeting of all MCAs in Eldoret where we can thrash out various issues,” said Musambayi, who declined to respond to the claims of incompetence. Abdicating duties The MCAs also expressed anger over the delay in constituting a public service board. Majority Chief Whip Abdalla Chogo said the clerk has been abdicating his duties, which had paralysed the assembly’s operations.“We cannot force someone to work for us when his interests are lying somewhere else. We do not have proper structures in the assembly eight months down the line because of the clerk,” he said.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/thecounties/article/2000099790/vihiga-mcas-want-clerk-shown-the-door-over-incompetence



Photos from Veingo farmers Association and Kanyaundo Youth Group the project is funded by Federal Republic of Germany at Nairobi,Kenya

































Sustainable Utilization of Natural Resources: A Community Based Conservation Effort in Bar Valley, Gilgit, Pakistan



Sustainable Utilization of Natural Resources: A Community Based Conservation Effort in Bar Valley, Gilgit, Pakistan
Mr. Iftikhar Ahmad, Conservation Officer
WWF/Pakistan
Peshwar, Pakistan

Introduction  
Pakistan, with its geography ranging from sea level to the second highest mountain in the world, hosts a rich variety of flora and fauna. However, with the increase in population, and subsequent increase in the demand for fuelwood, timber and grazing grounds, forest area in Pakistan has been diminishing at an alarming rate. This has resulted in rapid erosion, severe land degradation and a significant decline in both the numbers and variety of wildlife.
In order to reverse the process of deforestation and improve the status of wildlife, the Government of Pakistan has created a number of environmentally related departments at both the federal and provincial levels. In addition, several NGOs have initiated efforts to enhance the process of reforestation. However, local participation, the essential requirement for the success, has largely been ignored.  Local communities were rarely involved in the protection of natural resources on government land. Likewise, technical and financial support needed to improve communities’ skill and ability to manage their resources on private lands was virtually nonexistent.
The World Wide Fund for Nature/Pakistan (WWF/Pakistan) has been actively trying to improve the environmental situation by including local communities in natural resource management. This paper details WWF/Pakistan’s efforts in Bar Valley in the North Western Frontier Provinces of Pakistan. The project, begun in 1990, capitalized on the popularity of hunting in the area and the possibilities of linking ecotourism (based on sustainable hunting), conservation and community development. 
Bar Valley
Bar Valley is situated about 35 kilometers from the town of Gilgit in the Nagar subdivision of the North Western Frontier Provinces of Pakistan. Bar Valley was once known for its large number of Siberian ibex (Capra ibex sibirica).  However, their numbers have declined due to uncontrolled hunting by the local people for food and outsiders for trophies. Although wildlife department staff were present, they were largely ineffective in controlling and managing hunting inside the valley.
There are three main villages in Bar Valley with a total of 240 households. These communities depend mainly on livestock for their livelihood.  Having already overgrazed the areas close to the villages, the people began grazing their livestock in the alpine pastures that were once the exclusive domain of wild animals, including the ibex.
Winters are hard in Bar Valley. The minimum temperature in January often dips well below freezing and the valley remains covered with snow.  During these harsh winters, the villagers burn large amounts of fuelwood to keep warm.  The main source of fuel is the juniper tree, which is one of the only forest trees found in the local mountain ecosystem.  It is slow growing and endangered throughout the country. In addition, the people collect huge quantities of alpine grasses for stall feeding their livestock in the winter. The combined effect of deforestation and removal of grasses has resulted in erosion, and the deterioration of the habitat needed for the ibex and other wildlife.
The continuous loss of habitat and uncontrolled hunting of ibex created a dire situation in Bar Valley. In 1990, WWF/Pakistan initiated activities to alleviate the process of degradation and improve the status of the ibex by establishing linkages among local communities, local administration and other NGOs, as well as adapting integrated management approaches.
The core of the plan was to motivate villagers to take responsibility for protecting the ibex until the population could grow to a level when commercial exploitation would be feasible. The objectives of the project were to:
u    protect wildlife species of the area against illegal, uncontrolled and unauthorized hunting;
u    generate income opportunities for the local communities and improve their lifestyle through the sustainable use of the environment (both natural resources and wildlife);
u    preserve and improve the local biodiversity;
u    create awareness with regards to the value of environmental conservation;   
u    provide training and research opportunities to students and graduates of universities, both local and foreign; and
u    provide practical examples of resource conservation (biodiversity in general and wildlife in particular) and development through local participation for replication in other parts of the country.
Project Implementation
Protection of wildlife
After holding several meetings with the local communities, a protection procedure was suggested and adopted.  Three villages of Bar Valley elected 10 members to form a management committee for one year. The committee was comprised of five hunters and five non-hunters. This committee was given Rs. 4,500 (US$ 150) per month to carry out protection duties and other conservation-related activities. The project was to stop giving this money when new sources of income were generated as a result of the project’s activities. However, activities would continue to be sponsored by the community with the new sources of income. The local wildlife and forest departments were also persuaded to appoint two observers to ensure the wildlife protection and forest rules were not violated.
Trophy hunting program
As mentioned earlier, the core concept behind the project was for sustainable hunting of the ibex.  The project was heavily dependent on the cooperation of the 41 local hunters. The complete ban on hunting not only affected the hunters directly, but also other community members. While not all members of the community hunted, many benefited indirectly from the hunting activities by receiving meat from their relatives and friends who did. Efforts were thus needed to appease the hunters as well as the other villagers to avoid the possibility of poaching.  Even if a few non-hunting families had remained unattended by the project, total control over hunting, which was the utmost priority of the project, would have become difficult.
The feasibility study had already proposed that a sum of Rs. 240,000 (US$ 8,000) be given for distribution amongst the 240 families of Bar Valley.  This would not only compensate the community immediately for the loss of the wild meat, but also  involve every household in the program.  Additionally, it was assumed the communities would either change their food habits or replace wild meat with meat from other sources.  This money was a loan and was to be returned to WWF/Pakistan upon the commencement of the trophy hunting program.
Regular censuses were conducted, and the ibex were counted by age and  sex. It was recommended that 10% of the mature males (over 8 years of age) could be used for trophy hunting when there was a minimum population of 50 mature and over mature animals in the entire valley (273 km2) and the total population of ibex was approximately 500.   Except for two minor violations, there were no reported poaching problems.  As a result, the animal population grew and in April 1994, more than 500 animals were counted.
Based on the population census of ibex for April 1994, the government of the North Western Frontier Provinces recommended that five ibex be allowed for trophy hunting. This was endorsed by the local administration and a formal request was sent to the Federal Government to lift the ban and issue the permits for hunting to take place.  Because the villages’ protection activities were successful, the Government of Pakistan allowed five trophy hunting permits and endorsed the idea that the local communities would earn a profit as proposed in the project.  The Government of Pakistan allowed five licenses for the hunting of ibex in the valley; 75% of the revenue was to be given to the local communities and 25% to the government as a management fee.
A fixed license fee and quota was agreed upon in consultation with the wildlife department and other partners of the project. The fee for international hunters was US$ 3,000 while Pakistani hunters were charged Rs.25,000 (US$ 830).
The local village council and WWF/Pakistan decided upon the use of revenue from trophy hunting and other tourist related activities to fund further development and conservation projects.  Government departments were encouraged to use their share of the income for conservation purposes, preferably in the project or surrounding areas.
From the revenue collected a health care center was constructed.  Currently (1996), WWF/Pakistan is also training selected villagers in organizing tours to some of the famous valleys in the area to further diversify the ecotourism activities in the area.
Developing Bar Valley as an ecotourism destination
In order to prepare and promote Bar Valley as a tourist destination, WWF/Pakistan worked with the local communities to improve tourist facilities as well as develop promotional material on the valley. Moreover, when the project first began it was uncertain whether the government would allow trophy hunting in the area, and more importantly whether the villagers would be permitted to keep the profits generated from the hunting if allowed. In response to this possibility, the community identified various aspects of their natural and cultural environment that were of potential interest to tourists. Campgrounds were designated, and 20 tents and other camping equipment were given to the local communities to accommodate tourists visiting scenic spots in the valley. Other ecotourism activities were designed to diversify the range of activities for the tourists. These activities included:
u    the availability of riding facilities (on horses and yaks);
u    cultural shows for tourists in Dainter Village on weekends;
u    training of guides and porters for trekking and hikes;
u    training of local people in the preparation of hygienic local and foreign foods; and
u    the availability of transport facilities to and from the nearest town where transport services for other destinations are available.
Many of the activities have begun and several families are now earning a substantial amount of money. Rates and charges were fixed through mutual consultations with partners, and the quality of services in the valley has been regularly monitored.
Bari Darukush, an area which represents a mosaic of mountain habitats, grasslands and wetlands was closed for all uses except trophy hunting and limited grazing. This area will be maintained for limited camping, tourism activities and research studies.
To promote the area as a tourist destination, WWF/Pakistan is preparing a video on the cultural and biological resources of the valley. Likewise, a brochure was prepared and distributed to important tourist hotels, the Pakistan International Airlines office and bus stations to attract tourists to the area.
Other development activities
The project also linked conservation with local development activities. Since the area does not support a vast array of resources it was important to assist the local communities in land use practices and improved agriculture techniques. Activities included assisting local landowners in establishing fruit orchards and improving the existing agricultural practices. The project also assisted in the rehabilitation of about 15 acres of land (jointly managed) by constructing an irrigation channel near Bar Valley.  Moreover, the possibility of soft loans for the purchase of transport, better breeds of livestock and seed are being explored.
Local communities were also persuaded to establish nurseries for fuelwood and forage species. The project and local communities established a demonstration nursery to increase the area under plant cover. Similarly, areas have been designated as limited-use zones, where grass cutting and fuelwood collection is banned. In collaboration with other development projects in the area, fuel-efficient technologies were introduced and subsidized for adoption in each household of Bar Valley.
In order to improve potential income generating opportunities, activities such as  training in carpet making, the establishment of a basket and wood cutlery industry, and improved marketing techniques for local handicrafts are also being explored.
Creation of environmental and conservation awareness
The project also felt that it was important to create an environmental awareness campaign to educate the local people in the importance of resource conservation.  Local NGOs were encouraged and assisted to prepare and provide material on environmental education for distribution in the area. Likewise, the education unit of the project, in collaboration with the education staff of WWF/Pakistan, conducted special workshops for schools in the area and prepared special education material for school children, teachers and other interested groups. Environmental slogans on important environmental issues were also displayed in prominent locations throughout the valley.
Another important aspect of this education campaign was to provide training and research opportunities to students and graduates of both local and foreign universities.  Selected graduate students were encouraged to undertake field oriented research studies.  They were also encouraged to analyze project activities to further improve the project.  Six university graduates were given training opportunities on various project activities which eventually helped them find employment in organizations relevant to their subjects.
Replication of Project in Similar Areas
WWF/Pakistan felt that the Bar Valley Project could be replicated in similar areas.  Two additional project areas were selected based on the following criteria:
u    the area should have a minimum of 100 ibex, 50 markhor or 10 musk deer within the project boundaries;
u    the local people should be willing to protect wildlife and their habitats; and
u    the local people would sign a written conservation-cum-development agreement with WWF/Pakistan, whereby they would be bound to abide by the rules and regulations of such agreement for a specified period of time.
      Activities and strategies were to:
u    ensure complete protection of wildlife species against poaching;
u    ensure the sustainable utilization of natural resources;
u    help people to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, their dependence on critical and endangered natural resources, especially the forests and wildlife species of the area;
u    make the project sustainable within 10-15 years; and
u    persuade and convince local people, NGOs, and government agencies to replicate these ideas in other parts of the North Western Frontier Provinces.
Problems Encountered during Implementation
While implementing the project, a number of problems emerged, some were anticipated while others were not. Although frustrating and time consuming, the project had to design and implement various activities to manage such problems. These problems were of two broad categories: community related and government related.
Community related problems
As mentioned previously the project had to rely on the cooperation of local hunters. The project plan was that revenue from licenses and visitation would be distributed equally amongst the households of the community, without regard to whether or not an individual was previously a hunter.  The hunters were not eager to cease their activities for the questionable promise of future revenue. Another problem was if the hunters were given an incentive, villagers who did not hunt might attempt to become hunters to receive this incentive.  
Not every hunter in the community was eager to adopt the new rules of the project. The project had already identified several hunters who might violate the rules and continue to hunt.  A comprehensive monitoring system was needed in each important ibex habitat to deter such hunters. Since there was no source of immediate income, and the local people were not accustomed to investing in such projects, the project had to either rely on volunteers or had to pay a group people to act as guards to protect the area.
The people, although generally ready to stop hunting, were reluctant to spend days in the remote parts of the valley to guard against poaching for no financial gain. It was thus decided that those who were willing to perform  such duties would be paid by the project. Although the guards’ salary was not high, every adult in the valley wanted to participate.  However, the project could only afford to pay 10 guards for a limited period. The project anticipated that once the community began to collect revenue from trophy hunting, these guards would then be paid by the community.
Government related problems
In order to be sustainable, the Bar Valley project relied heavily on the trophy hunting program, though in fact, the federal government had banned all hunting. A long procedure was involved to relax the ban.  Without government approval for the trophy hunting permits, the people of Bar Valley would most likely begin uncontrolled hunting again, and any chance for future conservation efforts would be unlikely.
Another problem was that the relationship between the forest department  and the local communities was bad. On several occasions, the local communities of Bar Valley had negotiated with senior civil administration officials for a sustainable wildlife-use project, but these discussions were hampered by serious conflicts with the forest and wildlife department.  It was feared these past problems, would hinder the goals of the project.  However, because of effective liaison by the project between the local people and the forest department, the relationship improved and now the forest department is cooperating with the trophy hunting project.
Hunting permits
After the program was implemented in 1990, uncontrolled hunting in Bar Valley was nearly eliminated.  In the early stages of the program, there were two violations, which were not unexpected and not a detriment for the program’s overall success. These violations even lead the community to impose an internal system of social punishment which helped to deter future poachers.  The people’s efforts to protect ibex became an example in the region. Consequently, when WWF/Pakistan requested the local and federal government to relax the existing ban on hunting, it was done quite smoothly and five permits were allowed for ibex hunting in Bar Valley, though the ban was maintained in rest of the country.
Sharing revenue with people
Before the initiation of this project, there had been no precedent in Pakistan where revenue from wildlife resources had been shared with the local communities. However, the Bar Valley project had two major strengths:
1.   Communities were involved in the protection of wildlife
2.   WWF/Pakistan was helping communities in its management
The original proposal suggested that 70% of the revenue generated from trophy hunting should go to the local communities (and 30% to the local government). However, the Prime Minister changed the ratio to 75% /25%, and thus a new rule emerged in the country which allowed local communities to be eligible to share in revenue from natural resource conservation, provided they participate in its protection.
Sustainability of the Bar Valley Project
Although it is hard to fix specific rules for the sustainability of natural resources, certain lessons can be learned from the project in Bar Valley.
Community organization and their improved management skills
Over the last five years, the local communities have learned the importance of wildlife conservation.  The community is well organized and has developed the necessary management skills to sustain their activities.
One example of improved the management capacity is the system of protection that was established. The system for protecting the ibex habitat has been done on a locally initiated basis which has satisfied all the members of the community. Protection activities are now being carried out on a regular basis with few conflicts.  Likewise, the management committee is taking on other rural development issues.
Popularity of the program and its replication in other areas
WWF/Pakistan is receiving a number of requests from communities in other valleys to assist in setting up similar projects in their areas. Popularity of the program outside the project area is another indicators of its success.
Cooperation of government agencies
Although essentially a community-based initiative, supported technically and financially by an NGO, government agencies are extending full cooperation to the program. This interest and confidence on part of the government was developed through several internal and external consultations as well as collaborative research such as the wildlife census program in the valley.
Availability of non-ambiguous target point
Any project which deals with the sustainable utilization of natural resources, must have a terminating point - a point where the project will be taken over by local partners. If such a point is well identified, and local capacity developed, such a project or activity should be sustainable.  The Bar Valley Project has a fixed ending target. It aims to improve ibex populations to a level when the surplus can be harvested through trophy hunting in such a way that a viable ibex population is maintained, while a new and sustainable source of income is generated for the local community.
Conclusion
The Bar Valley Project has become an example in Pakistan of participatory natural resource management. The project’s community involvement and income generating potential show tremendous promise for its sustainability.  As of 1996, the available number of ibex in the Bar valley was about 900 with 50-60 animals ready for cultivation.   This could bring much needed income into the valley and generate further development initiatives that demonstrate to the local people that conservation of biodiversity and wildlife promise much in return.

Climate Change Resilience Building In Mandera County proposal



ADVANCING CLIMATE CHANGE RESILEINCING BUILDING IN MANDERA COUNTY PROJECT

BACKGROUND
Kenya’s vulnerability to climate change has manifested itself through prolonged droughts; frost in some of the productive agricultural areas; hailstorms; extreme flooding; receding lake levels; drying of rivers and other wetlands; among others leading to large economic losses and adversely impacting food security. Many of these extreme climate events have led to displacement of communities and migration of pastoralists into and out of the country resulting in conflicts over natural resources. Slow-onset events associated with climate change also lead to competition over scarce resources resulting in human-wildlife conflicts. Other climate change impacts include widespread disease epidemics, sea-level rise, and depletion of glaciers on Mount Kenya[1].
Mandera County in which the project will take place is located in Northern Kenya which is part of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya that have been prone to climate change impacts largely droughts and floods. The notable droughts in the past three decades that impacted negatively on pastoralism in northern Kenya include those in the years 1971, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1983-84, 1995-96, 1999-2000 and 2004 -2006; while floods with adverse effects occurred in 1982, 1985, 1998, 2003 and 2006-2007 and 2010[2]. A study conducted on vulnerability of the county to climate change shows that From the data collected, over 80% respondents noted a reduction in drought occurrence cycle from 10 years to 3 years or less in Mandera.
The counties socio economic activities include Quarry Mining, Tourist Attractions such as Malka Mari Fort, National Park and Game Reserve and the Main Economic Activities include pastoralism, trade across the borders, quarrying, bee keeping and agriculture-sorghum, maize, cowpeas, onions & mangoes along river Daua[3].
Some of the coping options aimed at reducing vulnerability that was observed in the study include adaptive livelihood options such as small scale trading, irrigation, firewood and charcoal burning. It was observed in the study areas that pastoralism is changing from nomadism to agro-pastoralism or semi-permanent settlements. There is also a general change in herd composition with a leaning towards browsers (goats and camels) and a move away from grazers (Cattle).
Furthermore given the county government dispensation in Kenya, there is need to have all sectoral plans, spatial planning and CIDP  and the accompanying policy and legislation tools be integrated with climate change adaptation and potential mitigation actions. This has been the area of identification between Kenya Young Greens and the Communities, through the community based organisation called Rural Agency for Development. The project will be implemented in Mandera county through joint collaboration between the county government and the people of Mandera, particularly the following areas Lafey, Banisa, Elwak, Takaba, Daua valley, and Mandera town.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Kenya Young Greens seeks to enhance climate change resilience building in Mandera County through the following objectives: (1) To promote community and public participation in mainstreaming climate change in county planning and programmes; (2) To encourage integration of climate change in the county sectoral planning, development of the county integrated development plans and county legislations; (3) To promote climate change mitigation through arid land forestry; (4) To promote ecosystem based climate change resilience through dry lands economic plants silviculture.
The activities that will be carried out to implement the above objectives include:
a)      Consensus building forum with the main county development partners and stakeholders
b)      Training workshops for community groups on climate change, advocacy and lobbying of county government.
c)      Mandera climate change screening and risk assessment through public barazas and workshops
d)     Social marketing of a range of ecosystem based technological adaptation to climate change and livelihood enhancements
e)      Training workshops on climate change mainstreaming in sectoral planning for county government and non-state actors
f)       Participation in CSG and wescoord meetings
The project directly fulfils four objectives of the CRM facility in that will build the capacity of equal numbers of men and women, drawn from household levels and leaders of self helps groups, associations and CBOs which will ensure cascading of the impacts, the average number of household population in Mandera is eight people per household in which the project will target a total of 2445 direct beneficiaries to be trained and lobbied through social marketing of sound technologies aimed at enhancing adaptation and mitigation of climate. The direct beneficiaries will in turn reach their households bringing the number to over 20000. In addition the project will target county government leadership, that county assembly and the executive committee alongside the WESCOORD and County Steering Group and others like Mandera County Devolution and Climate Change Group, In addition the progamme will conduct capacity building for both county assembly, and non-state actors on integration of climate in sectoral planning, legislations and advocacy on climate change, furthermore the proposed interventions are some of the priority actions identified in the Kenya National Climate Change Action for the ASAL areas such arid land forestry therefore it is leading into operationalization of the NCCAP, and lastly, the project is going to undertake a social market of Moringa Oloifera as an ecosystem based adaptation technology to improves the livelihoods of the people.
The project is expected to last for eight months and is projected to lead to the following results and presented in the table below.
Activity
Output
Impacts
Outcome
Consensus building forum
Forum report
The project is accepted and embraced by stakeholders
All the stakeholders are reached and implementation is successful
Training workshops for community groups on climate change, advocacy and lobbying of county government
Workshop reports
Community groups and public knowledgeable about climate change, have skills for engaging county government in climate change
Informed and empowered citizenry influencing climate change decisions in the county
Climate change screening and risk assessment
Assessment reports
Knowledge of the threats and areas at risk of climate change
Adoption of appropriate response measures to climate change risks
Social marketing of a range of ecosystem based technological adaptation to climate change and livelihood enhancements
Training reports
Adaptation of the technology by the communities
Improved livelihoods hence increased resilience to climate change
Training workshops on climate change mainstreaming in sectoral planning for county government and non-state actors
Training reports
Integration of climate change in county sectoral plans and laws
Increased resilience to climate change
Low carbon development in the county
Participation in CSG and wescoord
Minutes
Awareness of activities of other stakeholders programmes and
Increased synergies and cooperation and knowledge management

In implementation of the project it is anticipated that there shall be some risks involved and this are identified as followed
Risk
 Level
Proposed remedy
High way banditry
high
Flight from Nairobi to Mandera and personnel insurance
Terrorism
low
Coordination with county administration and facility owners
Bad weather especially rains
high
Integrate bad weather in logistical planning
High cost of travel/transport
high
Prioritise increased vote for travel
Poor communication connectivity
high
Prioritise use of CDMA technology for communication

The county government has a constitutional and legal mandate to of ensuring development of CIDP, sectoral plans and spatial planning conferred to it by the county government act 2012,in addition it has been the practice that development partners in the ASALs have a forum of sharing and learning about their interventions in the area through for a such as county steering group and the wescoord.
Other actors in climate change in the county will be engaged at the commencement of the project through a consensus meeting in which they will be invited for a meeting in which Kenya Young Greens will share with them its proposed activities, and areas of operation the county, other avenues of engagement will be participating at the wescoord and CSG meetings and the Mandera county devolution and climate change forum.

KYG EXPERIENCE AND CAPACITY IN CLIMATE CHANGE ADVOCACY AND DEVELOPMNET INTERVENTIONS
Kenya Young Greens is a non-profit organisation founded in 2007 and registered as a society with a national mandate and focusing its work on ecological sustainability through climate change and biodiversity, participatory democracy, and promotion of peace and non -violence conflict resolution.
The organisation has majorly focused its work on climate change through advocacy, training and lobbying in pursuit of climate change policies and legislations at the national, county and international levels through taking in observer roles at the UNFCCC COPs.
Kenya Young Greens is currently implementing a climate change project in four counties namely Homa bay, Vihiga, Mombasa and Machakos with the overall objective of empowering  Kenyan youth to participate in Kenya’s climate change policy making and implementation, and share lessons learnt in the region and around the globe.
The organisation is governed by a three member’s board and a secretariat comprising of team leader, finance and administrator, three volunteers and focal points in each of the four counties. The project is also supported by two technical advisors on capacity building of the county government on climate change and policy related issues.
Kenya Young Greens has had institutional members from Mandera County since its inception in 2007. In addition, the organisation leadership has undertaken capacity building of various non-state actors in the county through consultancy.
In implementation of the propose project Kenya Young Greens will partner with Rural Agency for Development (RAD) – A community Based Organisation whose head office is in Mandera and has a presence in both Mandera and Wajir Counties. RAD will be responsible for mobilisation of communities and stakeholders in the county, day to day implementation and monitoring of the project, and will host the project’s secretariat in Mandera town.
Kenya Young Greens on the other hand will be responsible for the overall implementation of the project, technical support, coordination and supervision, and monitoring. KYG will be the contract holder on behalf of the programme and the funder (herein referred to us ACTs).
Kenya Young Greens in the year 2013 has a partnership with Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF), German Embassy and Both Ends with funding amounting to Kshs. six million. The organisation has entered into a pre-twenty fourteen understanding with HBF that its next year partnership will be doubled as a result of the exceptional outcome of the current advocacy project in the four counties. The organisation has put in place a target of mobilisation of over twenty million shillings mainly for climate change and biodiversity conservation programmes
MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK
In order to realize the goal of the project; it is imperative that all the activities are monitored and the results evaluated. Kenya Young Greens in partnership with RAD will ensure that there is a local office in Mandera county and project staff tasked with day to day running of the project.

The key indicative indicators upon which success will be measured during evaluation will be developed during project inception in which a comprehensive M&E plan will be established, that defines in detail the type, frequency, sources, modalities and responsibilities for data collection.
The table below provides a simplified overview of the planned procedures and responsibilities:
Type / level of
information
Responsible for data
Collection
Source of information, frequency
M&E product, responsibility
Input (finance,
resources, time
schedule)
Team leader,
Accountant & others.
Accounts, monthly reports, annual audit reports
Monthly reports, Project Officers
/Accountant
Output of activities

Team leader,
accountant, & others
Progress reports, training reports, study reports etc
Monthly reports, Project reports
Outcome of the activities
Evaluation teams,
Project
Management

Beneficiary survey and evaluation, interpretation of  progress reports and Associates’ reports
Annual reports,
evaluation reports,
Project Management

Evaluation will include an impact survey, assessment of lessons learnt and emerging best practices, to be communicated to external stakeholders and will be conducted by an external evaluator.

SUSTAINABILITY
The key stakeholders who are both primary and secondary beneficiaries will be engaged in the implementation as the owners of the project as equal partners in the project implementation hence the outcome of the project will be as a result of their input and with this they will be urged to ensure the outcomes are nurtured by themselves in the absence of the organisation. In addition the beneficiaries will be reached through their organized groups which will be trained on further fundraising options including membership subscription to ensure that they are able to engage in the implementation of the activities beyond the project cycle.
Kenya Young Greens has a team with project design and development and fundraising skills who will continue to vigorously pursue other sources of funding from other donors. The organisation also paid up membership structure which also support in raising funds that will go a long way raising funds that necessary to maintain the organisation so that it carries its mandate

BUDGET SUMMARY
Line Item
Descriptions
rate
QTY
Cost
Human Resource
Team leader ( KYG)
100,000
5
 500,000
RAD director
100,000
5
 500,000
Project Manager
90,000
8
 720,000
Project officer
70,000
8
   560,000
Finance coordinator (KYG)
50,000
6
 300,000
Finance Coordinator
50,000
8
 400,000
Insurance cover
50,000
5
  250,000
Travel
Staff field and Nairobi travel and accommodation
212,500
8
1,700,000
Project activity costs
Baseline study
300,000
5
1,500,000
Consensus building forum
154,000
1
   154,000
Mandera climate change agriculture at Daua Valley  and livestock screening and risk assessment for sectoral planning
389,140
5
1,945,700
Social marketing of a range of ecosystem based technological adaptation to climate change and livelihood enhancements in Daua valley
1,000,000
1
1,000,000
Training workshops for community groups in climate change advocacy and public participation
800,000
1
  800,000
Training workshops on climate change mainstreaming in sectoral planning for county government and non-state actors
1,066,500
1
1,066,500

Capacity building costs
Induction workshop for the project management
198,000
1
 198,000
Equipment
PC computer
35,000
1
35,000
laptop
 45,000
1
45,000
Printer
25,000
1
25,000
CDMA Modems
4000
3
12,000
Operating costs
rent
20,000
8
160,000
supplies
6000
8
  48,000
maintenance
4000
8
  32,000
communication
  5500
8
  44,000
Bank charges
   600
8
  4, 800
Subtotal




Grand Total



12,000,000




[1] Kenya National Climate Change Action Plan
[2] Reducing vulnerability of pastoralist communities to climate change and variability  in Northern Kenya
[3] Commission on Revenue Allocation