MONITORING AND EVALUATION OFFICER – STRENGTHENING THE LIVESTOCK SECTOR IN ARID AND SEMI-ARID LANDS (ASAL) COUNTIES OF KENYA: PHASE II At Frontier Counties Development Council

Vacancy: Monitoring and Evaluation officer Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) wants to recruit a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the Livestock Sector Support Project from the 1st of July 2022. The officer will be based in Nairobi but frequently travel to the FCDC counties. The entry grade will be Grade 4.

1. FCDC Background:

The FCDC counties of Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo, Marsabit, Tana River, Lamu, West Pokot, Samburu, and Turkana account for more than half of Kenya’s landmass (61%). They are home to a population of at least 5.53 million people. The population depends mainly on livestock production as the basis of their livelihoods, with the sector accounting for more than 80% of the region’s economic performance. On average, about 64.2 % of the population lives below the poverty line compared to a national average of 36.1 %. The region has a low population density, at less than 22 persons/km2 in most counties, far below the national average of 82 persons/km2 . The average household size across FCDC counties is six persons, much larger than the national average of 2.3 people. The urban population is 23.54%, which is 7% lower than the national average (31.2 %).

The FCDC region is highly climate-sensitive and is experiencing increasing climatic variability due to climate change. Livestock plays a vital role in risk management, particularly for the more impoverished herders, who are more vulnerable to high economic and climatic risks. The region borders Somalia to the East, Ethiopia and South Sudan to the North, and Uganda to the West. A robust transboundary movement of animals and trade in livestock contributes to the spread of livestock diseases. Conflicts also tend to transcend these borders. The shared porous borders are prone to transboundary insecurity and conflicts linked to spill-overs from neighbouring countries— climate-induced cross-border migrations of pastoralist groups occasion competition for shrinking pasture and water resources. The porous borders also facilitate the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs), compounding conflict and insecurity in these borderlands.

2. LSS II Programme overview:

LSS II Programme will run for 4 years, from April 2022 to March 2026. The overall objective of the LSS II Programme is to contribute to the resilience of the pastoralists in the FCDC region to droughts, livestock disease outbreaks, and natural resource conflicts.

The Programme builds on the work accomplished in the first phase, which aimed to strengthen livestock sector institutions to deliver relevant services through better stakeholder coordination; and common disease control, rangelands management, peace and cohesion, and fodder production strategies.

The Programme will support FCDC in enhancing livestock disease surveillance, strengthening disease control, training human resources, improving infrastructure, and contributing to the rapid response to emergencies. It will facilitate inter and intra-county grazing plans and harmonious sharing of pastures. Furthermore, it will promote the registration of community land for the communities to have legal control of their land through the acquisition of title deeds. The Programme aims to increase fodder production to address the natural pasture feed deficit in the FCDC counties; establish strategic fodder reserves in the counties for drought emergency preparedness.

To promote peace and cohesion essential for livestock sector development, the Programme will support peace structures, convene alternative dispute Resolution meetings, and encourage inter-county dialogue on land and natural resource-based conflicts. In addition, for sustained capacity building for peace and cohesion in the region, the Programme will strengthen collaboration with Garissa University Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) to provide outreach programmes for peace actors and research the conflict hotspots to offer empirical evidence for action.

The Programme will endeavor to create functional and mutually beneficial linkages with region-wide and national pastoralists’ interests through advocacy, political lobbying, and implementation of policies that contribute to the program’s goal.

FCDC will implement LSS II through strategic partnerships with key institutions at the county, regional and national levels. The leading partner at the county level will be County Departments for Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries. At the regional level, the main partners will be the Sector Forum for Agriculture 2 and Livestock, the Sector Forum for Peace and Cohesion, and Garissa University Institute for Peace and Security Studies. At the national level, the main partners are the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, State Department for the Development of ASALs, and the Development Partners relevant to the goal of the program.

Programme implementation within FCDC will be coordinated by a Programme Coordinating Unit (PCU) under the guidance of the Programme Steering Committee and Sector Forum for Agriculture and Livestock. The PCU shall be composed of a Programme Manager (PM), Finance and Administration Manager, Programme Officer, Program Assistant, Procurement Officer, and admin assistant. The PCU will oversee the day-to-day management of the Programme.

3. Job description:

(a) Responsible for setting up and implementing an M&E system by setting up a results monitoring system (RMS) – both qualitative and quantitative data collection. This aims to create routine/regular programme performance monitoring for adaptive programming.

(b) Establishing a programme database (digitalise RMS) for the management of program data and information;

(c) Ensure that FCDCs policies of Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) and Gender Equality are fully embedded during implementation and applied in the day-to-day implementation of the programme and ensure that these are effectively captured in the programme reports;

(d) Participate (together with PCU) in the preparation of annual work plans;

(e) Coordinate all M&E activities related to baseline studies, midterm review, and programme end-line evaluations

(f) Responsible for preparing and submitting on time all Programme reports – quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports in close collaboration with project officers.

(g) Represent FCDC and LSS programme in different fora when asked by the management. This includes making presentations of the FCDC secretariat and the programme’s progress.

(h) Participate in programme routine field visits and contribute to the documentation of results (photos, info-graphs and testimonials), and lessons learnt reflections and best practices through case studies, etc.

(i) In consultation with the programme coordination team, develop project risk management tools in line with the existing project risk management matrix.

(j) Any other duty assigned by the supervisor.

4. Qualifications, experience essential, skills, and knowledge

(a) Bachelor’s degree in Arts, Social Sciences, Economics, Statistics, Development Studies, or any other related field from a recognized university. An advanced degree in social sciences is an added advantage.

(b) At least 5 years of demonstration in applying M&E systems and frameworks and successful coordination of M&E functions and experience

(c) A grounded understanding of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in research and evaluation.

(d) Experience with database design and management, including advanced use of Excel and data analysis and entry packages, including SPSS data analysis. Mobile data collection skills are required, while basic GIS mapping skills are an added advantage.

(e) Experience in preparing logical frameworks and excellent understanding of the theory of change

(f) Excellent communication skills with proven experience in project design, planning, monitoring, and reporting; and the ability to write clear and informative reports

(g) Honest and efficient in the use of resources, including own time.

(h) Good team player and can communicate effectively in both speaking (English and Kiswahili) and writing in English