1. What are the objectives of project? The objectives of the project are to enhance the institutional capacity to manage water and forest resources, reduce the incidence and severity of water shocks in river catchments, and improve the livelihoods of communities participating in the co-management of water and forests. Achievements under the project will be measured by indicators tracking changes in organizations and their performance, in the health of the natural resource base, and in welfare of participating communities. 2. How does this project fit in the World Bank’s mission of reducing poverty? In line with the Government’s Implementation Plan for the Economic Recovery Strategy and World Bank Country Assistance Strategy goals, the project will assist the Government to mainstream environment and natural resource management issues in the economic growth, development and poverty reduction processes by strengthening public sector governance and management of Kenya’s forest resource through transformation of the Forest Department to a semi-autonomous institution, the Kenya Forest Service. It will also deepen water sector reforms by assisting in the implementation of existing laws and regulations related to water resource management. Since there is a strong link between natural resources and poverty in Kenya, the project will contribute to broad-based poverty alleviation through support to community-based sustainable use and management of environment and natural resources. This will mainly be done through support to community participation in forest resource utilization and conservation as described in the Forest Act 2005, and the empowerment of Water Resources Users Associations in catchment management as described in the Water Act 2002, as well as supporting farmers to access irrigation water to increase productivity. 3. Will this project support Kenya’s Vision 2030 strategies? Yes. Vision 2030’s objective is to transform the country into a fast growing and diversified economy. The thinking behind the Vision is that the Kenyan society needs long-term development goals to guide its short- and medium-term development plans and strategies. The project supports the development of a sustainable growth path through the protection of Kenya’s water towers and forests. It will support a long term vision of poverty reduction through investing in productive assets such as irrigation infrastructure and sustainable forests. It will also support the Government in increasing the role of communities and the private sector in the management of water and forests. 4. Who are the principal beneficiaries and what are the specific expected outcomes? Many of the project’s outcomes will result in the overall improvement of the management of natural resources in Kenya, producing nationwide benefits. Overall, the project will help to reduce the incidence and severity of water shocks in river catchments, and improve the livelihoods of communities participating in the co-management of water and forests. Specific outcomes include a reduction in sediment load in critical rivers and reservoirs, increase in the area of forests managed under approved management plans, and the number of users benefiting from improved irrigation service delivery. The project will place special focus on two critical watersheds of the Tana and the Nzoia rivers. Project investments will concentrate on the upper catchment of the Tana River, and two key watersheds of the Nzoia river catchment, the Kakamega Forest and Mt. Elgon. The project will work in close collaboration with the proposed Western Kenya Community Driven Development and Flood Mitigation Project in the Nzoia River catchment. 5. Besides the Government and the World Bank, are there other partners in the project and what is their contribution? Strong development partnerships exist in both the forestry and water sectors. This project has been prepared in close consultation with other development partners and key stakeholders in both sectors. Development partners have also been consulted during the donor coordination group meeting on the forest sub-sector. These include African Development Bank, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Embassy of Finland, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In the water sector, collaboration with Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA) and Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) has been ongoing for a number of years. SIDA/DANIDA have provided strong support to the reform process which has led to new policy, legislation and institutional arrangements. Recently SIDA/DANIDA and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) have provided material and technical support to the establishment of the Water Resources Management Authority at national level and in the establishment of the river basin offices of the Authority. JICA has also been involved in the irrigation sector, as has French Cooperation. |
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