| Terms of Reference (ToR) for Baseline Consultant Terms: Temporary (Approximately 30 days) Availability: March– April 2025 |
| 1.0 Background/ContextThe 2010 constitution of Kenya devolved 29% (14 out of 49) services to the county government with the aim of among others (a) promote democratic and accountable exercise of power; (c) give powers of self-governance to the people and enhance the participation of the people in the exercise of the powers of the State and in making decisions affecting them In Kenya today, governance decisions and service delivery are heavily influenced by political dynamics, where the majority often dominate decision-making, overshadowing the core principles of devolution. Despite youth (men and women aged 18 to 35) and women making up 75% of the population (according to the 2019 national census), they hold only 29.9% of political leadership positions, with youth occupying 6.5% and women 23.4%. This underrepresentation affects the outcome of the decision and roles limit their ability to garner the necessary support, as most decisions are still driven by numerical strength.The lack of awareness, cultural barriers, and insufficient political will significantly hinder youth and women from fully benefiting from the rights enshrined in the constitution. Many youth are unaware of the avenues available for their participation in decision-making and holding leaders accountable. In some cases, they either expect payment for their involvement or lack the skills to effectively present their issues. Additionally, government officials often disregard their input, further excluding them from governance processes. As a result, their needs and priorities are overlooked, leading to the implementation of projects that fail to address the real needs of youth, creating opportunities for corruption in the absence of informed participation leading to poor service delivery and undignified living for the majority group of the population.Cultural practices often limit the participation of youth and women in political and decision-making processes. In many societies, youth and women are expected to follow the decisions of the elders, even when these decisions are biased or unconstitutional. For example, political negotiations often occur at night, with announcements made during the day, yet women are expected to remain at home to care for children and their husbands, thereby hindering their involvement. Additionally, in some cultures, women are not allowed to hold political office before marriage, and after marriage, they are viewed with suSPicion, with concerns that they might prioritize the interests of their maternal families over those of their constituents. This cultural framework leaves many women marginalized and with limited political influence.The lack of political will in fostering inclusive public participation is evident in several key areas, particularly in the government’s failure to establish platforms that effectively engage youth and women. Public forums are often announced through national newSPapers, which are not easily accessible to these groups, and public participation forums are structured with complex protocols that exclude their involvement. The Political Parties Act requires each political party to establish youth and women’s leagues to provide a safe platform for their participation in political processes. However, these institutions have often failed to achieve their intended purpose. Instead, the youth wing has been misused to create unsafe environments for political engagement, including turning youth leagues into political gangs for the party, facilitating digital harassment, and serving as machinery for propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation while women are only used as mobilizers. As a result, these practices have not contributed to improving the representation of women and youth in political leadership but instead undermined their involvement and safety in the political SPhere.However, there is considerable goodwill among youth and women in Kenya, as evidenced by various county-based initiatives aimed at providing political education, creating platforms for youth to engage in governance, holding leaders accountable, and complementing government services. A study on the status of youth participation in governance found that each county had such initiatives. However, the report highlighted a major challenge: 80% of these youth and women-led initiatives struggled to survive beyond their second year, often fading due to weak leadership and lack of solid institutional structures, which hindered their ability to attract support from potential partners thus they die without meeting the intended objectiveThe report recommended the need for these infinitives to be nurtured . As a result, Siasa Place initiated a mentors-hip program targeting county based youth organizations and their leadership working on youth participation and awareness, women participation, accountability and service delivery. The mentorship focus on build their leadership and institutional structures in a way that will ensure sustainability and organizational growth to enable them to provide public education, support local accountability initiatives and expose them to other potential partners to support their intransitives after they meet the institutional structures.Siasa Place (SP) is a civic-tech youth-led, women led non-governmental organization (NGO), established in 2015 that SPecializes in working with grassroots youth in building institutional structures to support youth participation in politics and good governance. SP targets youth (men and women aged 15 to 35 years) and develops their skills in policy review, supporting the creation of youth-friendly platforms for public participation in decision-making processes including the budget process and social accountability. SP 2022-2027 strategic plan focuses on three pillars including devolution and Local Accountability, Politics, Tech and Rights and youth Memorability, Skilling and Mentorship. SP is currently working in 17 counties and mentoring 16 online and offline county based youth organizations, transitioned from convening a youth serving organizations which is a national youth network with 35 county based youth organizations SPread in 25 counties out of the 47 counties.If additional (county based art and digital champions) county-based youth and women-friendly platforms are identified and mentored , their institutional structures and leadership capacities strengthened, and their civic and governance initiatives supported, then these platforms will gain a deeper understanding of their role in raising political and governance awareness and improve their capacity to hold leaders accountable. This will enable youth and women to actively engage in governance processes, with the ultimate goal of improving service delivery and upholding the dignity of the people, as they are the primary beneficiaries of enhanced civic participation. 1.2 About Siasa Place: Siasa Place is a youth-led and youth-focused civic-tech organization that is building confidence, skills, competencies and institutional structures necessary for meaningful and dignified participation of young people in politics, governance and civic life. Inspired by the Constitutional promise of the right to public participation, convinced of young people’s interest, potential and capacity to influence decisions that affect them, Siasa Place is leveraging technology to expand the reach and quality of young peoples’ engagement in the social, economic, civic and political life of their communities. Our three programme pillars cover themes such as Devolution and local accountability; Politics, tech and rights; Equality; as well as Youth Employability, skilling and mentorship. 1.3 Project Objectives Objective 1: Strengthen the capacity of county-based art and digital platforms to increase youth and women’s involvement in civic and political processes, improving their ability to advocate for local accountability and service delivery. Objective 2:Expand and support collaborative platforms for youth and women to engage in political and civic awareness initiatives, using creative arts and digital tools to drive advocacy, amplify community voices, and influence policy decisions at the county level. 2.0 Purpose, Objectives and Scope of the AssignmentThe purpose of consultancy is to map county-based art and digital platforms that can be utilized for developing and disseminating information to enhance youth and women’s political and civic awareness, as well as local accountability. The consultant will identify youth organizing structures at the county level that can foster civic participation and improve accountability, ultimately contributing to better service delivery. Additionally, the consultant will assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing art and digital channels and provide recommendations on strategies to strengthen their role in civic and governance processes. Overall Project objective: To enhance civic engagement and local accountability in Mombasa, Kakamega, Migori, Kisumu, Lamu and Uasin Gishu counties by empowering youth and women through strengthened art and digital platforms, increasing their capacity for advocacy and effective participation in governance within a 12-month period. 2.1 The consultant is expected to: Map County-Based Art and Digital Platforms: Identify and categorize youth and women art and digital platforms in Mombasa, Kakamega, Migori, Kisumu, Lamu and Uasin Gishu that can be leveraged for civic participation and accountability. Identification of Youth Organizing Structures: Asses the institutional strength of the platforms by looking into their strength and weaknesses to facilitate civic participation and hold leaders accountable and provide actionable recommendations on how to enhance their effectiveness. Reporting and Documentation: Submit a comprehensive report that shows detailed mapping of county-based art and digital platforms, assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, analysis of county based youth and women organizing structures, recommendations and strategies for improvement and clear action plan for enhancing participation in civic and governance processes. 2.2 Scope The Scope of Work under this consultancy includes the following; Conduct an extensive review of all relevant literature (secondary data) related to youth and women participation in politics in Mombasa, Kakamega, Migori, Kisumu, Lamu and Uasin Gishu.Develop an Inception Report with a clear understanding of the assignment deliverables, proposed methodology and proposed data collection tools. Proceed to the field (Mombasa, Kakamega, Migori, Kisumu, Lamu and Uasin Gishu) to collect the required data with proposed methodology and proposed sample unitsAnalyze the data, develop the baseline survey report addressing all the key data points and a commentary on the appropriateness (measurability) of the indicators for review. 2.3 Deliverables These include the following:An Inception Report, outlining the consultant’s methodological approach to this assignment, and a proposed work-plan.A set of comprehensive data collection tools that will be used to generate the baseline data. These tools ought to capture both qualitative and quantitative data.Final baseline survey report, which shall follow a draft submitted for approval to the project team.The draft report that will emanate from this exercise shall be submitted in soft copy, on google docs to the Contracting Agency for review, within two weeks of completing the field work phase. Further, the consultant will submit the final report, within one week after receiving feedback from the Project Consortium Members. Approval of the final report shall be done by the Executive Director, Siasa Place. 2.4 Time-frame This consultancy will take approximately thirty (30) days, based on a reasonable ‘Level of Effort’ estimation. These days will be spread from the day of signing of the contract. The consultant is expected to share a work-plan that indicates how these days will fit into the three phases of the consultancy; Inception, Fieldwork and Post-Fieldwork phases. The proposed plan will be reviewed by the project team in consultation with the consultant, before roll-out. The consultant will be expected to be in the field for about two weeks (15 days) days during the Fieldwork Phase. Other days will be spent away from the field in accordance with the proposed plan. 3.0 Consultant competency The consultant must be able to demonstrate extensive experience working in the youth and women governance sector, especially in capacity enhancement and advocacy programmes. Knowledge of and experience in working in the project county counties will be an added advantage.Solid experience in mixed methods research including designing and conducting studies on governance programmes.Knowledge and understanding of devolution and county government systems in Kenya. Proficiency in report writing skills in English languageA degree in any of the following fields: public policy, monitoring and evaluation, project management, political science or in a related field is an added advantage. 3.1 Management of the Consultancy The Programme Manager, Siasa Place shall be directly involved in the supervision and management of the consultant during the period of engagement. The consultant shall work with county based organizations to ensure meaningful engagement. 3.2 Terms and Conditions of Engagement These include the following; Where possible, the contracting Agency (Siasa Place) may provide the consultant with some information and support in setting up interviews. The Contracting Agency commits to provide ‘Duty of Care’ to the consultant during the Field/Data Collection Phase of the work in line with Siasa Place’s policies and guidelines. As part of the contracting process the consultant shall be expected to abide by all the policies of the contacting institution. 3.3 Application Procedure Interested applicants should send their applications addressed to the Programme Manager, Siasa Place, by close of Business on 7th March 2025 via https://forms.gle/QSqenTbMpUCqFiF78 Applications should include the following documents: a) Cover letter (max 1 page) outlining your suitability for this assignment b) Technical proposal (max. 8 pages). The technical proposal must outline the following; – The consultants’ understanding of the TORs – Proposed methodology – Proposed work-plan – Consultant’s relevant experience in previous related assignments 3.4 Financial Proposal (max. 1 page) Outlining in Kenya Shillings, the consultant’s proposed cost for undertaking the baseline survey. This should include both the professional and logistical costs. 1. Attach a SAMPLE of a baseline report that you have conducted in the recent past. 2. List of referees |
