TERMS OF REFERENCE
Social Audit
Position: Social Audit Consultant
Terms: Temporary (Approximately 30 days)
Availability: February– March
- Introduction
1.1 Contextual Analysis
Youth employment remains a pressing issue in Kenya, particularly in rural counties where economic opportunities are limited. While the county governments of Nyamira, Kajiado, and Meru have prioritized job creation in their development plans, the integration of technology in these strategies remains insufficient. Public participation is essential in ensuring that young people are not only beneficiaries but also key contributors to shaping tech-driven economic initiatives. Digital solutions, such as e-commerce platforms, mobile financial services, and agritech innovations, have the potential to transform youth employment by expanding market access, improving financial inclusion, and enhancing productivity in agriculture and trade.
In Nyamira County, where agriculture dominates, integrating digital tools such as blockchain for supply chain transparency, mobile-based credit access for farmers, and e-learning platforms for agribusiness training can significantly improve youth participation in the economy. Similarly, Kajiado County, with its focus on livestock farming and trade, can leverage AI-powered climate forecasting, digital marketplaces for livestock trade, and fintech solutions to empower young entrepreneurs. In Meru County, where youth-led agribusiness and trade initiatives are growing, investment in digital infrastructure and smart farming technologies can enhance productivity and market competitiveness. However, many young people still face barriers such as limited internet access, inadequate digital literacy, and bureaucratic challenges in accessing county-supported programs.
For county governments to translate their employment strategies into tangible results, digital transformation must be at the center of their youth empowerment policies. Expanding ICT infrastructure, fostering innovation hubs, and integrating digital skills training into youth programs will be crucial in bridging the gap between policy and implementation. By leveraging technology, counties can not only create jobs but also build resilient, future-ready economies where young people play an active role in driving sustainable development.
LONG TERM GOAL:
Imara’s long-term goal is to realise responsive governance by creating a community of young policy and civic leaders, with a shared value system, committed to building a culture of democracy, accountability, and active citizenship. The program aims to contribute to developing Kenya’s young leaders in communities and transforming them into social accountability champions, through building skills to hold the government accountable.
- Overview of the Imara Fellowship Program
Imara Fellowship is a policy-oriented program hosted by Siasa Place (SP) in partnership with Africa Youth Leadership Forum (AYLF) and Mark Appeal Group (MA) with the financial support of the Ford Foundation. These organisations share the indelible mission of developing leaders grounded in the values of integrity, social empathy and creativity. This program responds to existing data that youth neither get involved in decision making on issues affecting them nor understand the role played by county government leaders. Also, they have limited capacity to engage the government on issues such as public finance, budget making and accountability.
The Imara fellowship program seeks to strengthen oversight as one of the cornerstones of democracy. It supports the process of ensuring prudent implementation of policies per the laws and budget passed by the parliament.
ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND
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.
Project Outcomes
There are four outcomes, as outlined below;
Outcome 1: Recruited young policy and civic leaders (fellows) are trained and equipped with value based and practical skills in policy formulation, accountability, public finance and community organising.
Outcome 2: Trained fellows (including alumni from previous cohorts) are supported to undertake community sensitization and support initiatives aimed at championing specific policies and accountability.
Outcome 3: Leveraging on digital media and other partnerships, the youth of Kenya have access to information on rights and avenues existing in law they can use to ensure their inclusion in the governance process and in agitating for the realisation of their socio-economic rights as embedded in the constitution.
Outcome 4: Community centred follow-up and feedback mechanisms are established for collaboration with various stakeholders.
1.3 Call-Out
Siasa Place is seeking a qualified and experienced consultant to conduct a social audit of the Imara Fellowship program in Meru, Kajiado, and Nyamira counties. The audit aims to assess the current situation, provide insights on how to design more effective interventions, and strengthen the project’s results framework, ensuring that the program’s impact is measurable and aligned with its objectives
- Purpose, Objectives and Scope of the Assignment
The purpose of the consultancy is to establish comprehensive social audit information on the extent to which the county governments of Meru, Kajiado, and Nyamira have delivered on its promises and whether young people have benefitted from proposed policies and programs.
The overall objective of the consultancy is to establish data, guided by the indicators in the project documents, as the basis for designing interventions and evaluating the outcomes amongst the target institutions and individuals.
The specific objectives of the consultancy are to:
- Assess the level of policy response towards creating opportunities for young people in Meru, Kajiado, and Nyamira counties, with a focus on how these policies integrate technological innovations versus traditional approaches in sectors such as entrepreneurship, skills development, and access to resources.
- Determine the extent to which counties have leveraged local opportunities to create jobs and improve youth livelihoods, comparing the effectiveness of tech-driven solutions (e.g., digital platforms, automation, e-commerce,) versus traditional means (e.g., manual labor, agribusiness, and trade).
- Evaluate the implementation of the governor’s promises in Kajiado, Nyamira, and Meru counties, analyzing their impact on youth and comparing how technological advancements and traditional methods have influenced service delivery, economic opportunities, and youth empowerment.
| Objective 1: Assess the Extent of Youth Economic Empowerment: Evaluate how effectively the county government has utilized available opportunities and resources to create income-generating opportunities for the youth. This includes assessing the implementation of youth-targeted programs, grants, and access to funding that directly impacts their financial well-being. Objective 2: Measure the Utilization of County-Based Opportunities for Job Creation: Investigate the extent to which the county has leveraged local opportunities (e.g., infrastructure projects, agricultural initiatives, and local industries) to create sustainable employment for residents. This will focus on identifying how well county policies and programs translate into actual job creation within the community. Objective 3: Analyze the Use of Digital Platforms for Income Generation: Examine how effectively the county government has embraced and utilized digital platforms (e.g., e-commerce, online skill development programs, and digital marketplaces) to facilitate income-generating activities for its residents, particularly in expanding access to broader economic opportunities through technology. |
The Scope of Work under this consultancy includes the following;
- Conduct an extensive review of all relevant literature (secondary data) related to youth and employment opportunities in Kajiado, Meru and Nyamira.
- Develop an Inception Report with a clear methodology and data collection tools.
- Proceed to the field (in Kajiado, Meru and Nyamira) to collect the required primary data through interviews and consultations with all the sampled stakeholders in the youth governance space.
- Analyze the data, develop the social audit report addressing all the key data points and a commentary on the appropriateness (measurability) of the indicators in the proposal and submit the draft to Siasa Place for review.
3.0 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 social audit 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.
4.0 Proposed Methodology
It is recommended that the successful candidate shall ensure the consultancy is conducted in a consultative and participatory manner that is both complexity-aware and context-sensitive.
The consultant should consider the use of a Mixed Methods Approach through primary and secondary data collection methods, which will yield both qualitative and quantitative data.
The data collection tools ought to be designed in a manner that corresponds to the sourcing for data for all the indicators in the project log-frame. The collected data will have to be collated, analysed and interpreted in a coherent and systematic manner, using detailed data/information analysis method(s).
5.0 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 (14 days) days during the Fieldwork Phase. Other days will be spent away from the field in accordance with the proposed plan.
6.0 Profile of the Consultant
There are mandatory and desirable competencies of this;
Mandatory;
- Solid experience in mixed methods research including designing and conducting social audits in youth and governance programmes.
- Extensive experience working in the youth 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.
- Knowledge and understanding of devolution and county government systems in Kenya.
- Proficiency in report writing skills in English language
- A 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.
7.0 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.
During the fieldwork phase, the consultant shall work with designated county champions and in county fellows of the project consortium members to ensure meaningful engagement with the stakeholders and successful collection of data from the sampled institutions and individuals.
8.0 Terms and Conditions of Engagement
These include the following;
- The Contracting Agency (Siasa Place) will provide the consultant with the required information and support in setting up interviews with the identified respondents in the field.
- 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.
9.0 Application Procedure
Interested applicants should send their applications addressed to the Programme Manager, Siasa Place, by Close of Business on 21/02/25 via https://forms.gle/iNBhecT4MqVQ6tjDA.
Applications should include the following documents:
- Cover letter (max 1 page) outlining your suitability for this assignment
- 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
- Financial Proposal (max. 1 page) outlining in Kenya Shillings, the consultant’s proposed cost for undertaking the Social Audit. This should include both the professional and logistical costs.
- Attach a SAMPLE of a social audit report that you have conducted in the recent past.
- List of referees
