ToR for Technical Advisor, Transformative Peace Dividend Initiatives REF: ACT-ECCES-01-2025 At Act Change Transform

1.0 Background

About Act Change Transform

Act Change Transform (Act!) is a local Non-Governmental Organization whose mission is to champion lasting positive community transformation. Act! approaches its development work through three broad programmatic areas; 1) Peace Building and Conflict Transformation, 2) Democracy, Governance and Human Rights, 3) Environment and Natural Resources. Act! focuses on building the capacity and resilience of individuals and communities, thus empowering them to get involved in the decisions and management of their own development. Through grant management, implementing partners are offered grants that facilitate activities at the community level thereby increasing the value for money. Small grants also contribute to the capacity development of CSOs, provides strategic CSOs advocacy for the benefit of women, youth, people with disabilities and other marginalized communities, and contributes to the sustainability of programs.

About the Electoral Conflicts Mitigation & Civic/Voter Education (ECCES) Support program

Under the Democracy, Governance and Human Rights programme area, Act! is implementing the ECCES Program funded by USAID/KEA for a period of four years (November 2021- September 2025). In the first 3 years, Act! in partnership with county-based CSOs implemented the Program in eighteen (18) Counties in Kenya, namely: Mombasa, Kilifi, Garissa, Isiolo, Kiambu, Uasin-Gishu, Nandi, West Pokot, Laikipia, Tana-River, Nakuru, Migori, Kisumu, Bungoma, Kwale, Kajiado, Trans Nzoia & Nairobi. The Program purposed to address the following: (1). Elections violence and its impacts on inclusion, participation of women, youth and persons with disability as candidates and voters; (2). Misinformation, disinformation and withholding of key elections information (political manipulation) critical for effective participation of all eligible citizens as voters and candidates; (3). Delayed and sometimes poorly managed voter and civic education that has marginalized youth, women and PWDs as voters/candidates; (4). Weak participation of civil society, women and youth in other democratic processes around (pre and post) the elections; and (5). Human rights violations and securing justice for victims of electoral conflicts/violence.

In Year 4, ECCES, in partnership with local CSOs, is primarily scaling up the People to People (P2P) peacebuilding and conflict management model. The P2P interventions aim to foster social cohesion by addressing drivers to conflict stemming from long history of economic, social and political inequalities and exclusions that are evidenced by livestock rustling/raiding/thefts, banditry, land ownership (access and control) conflicts, boundary disputes and other resource-based conflicts. These P2P activities are focused in the counties of Isiolo, Nakuru, Laikipia, West Pokot, Baringo, Samburu and Kisumu/Kericho (the Sondu area). Expected outcomes are: (i) Improve trust and collaboration between inter-ethnic groups and leveraging on the role of government actors in promoting sustainable peace and development (ii) Strengthen Inter-ethnic county and local community peace structures to engage and advocate county governments to address social, economic and political inequalities and exclusions that impact on peace and (iii) Increase engagement of youth, women and ethnic minorities in peace processes to improve trust and reduce socio-cultural barriers to peace. In view of the above, Act! intends to engage the services of a consultant to support county-based implementing partners (implementing CSOs) in the above-stated seven counties to come up with inter-ethnic transformative peace dividends initiatives i.e. alternative economic and livelihoods initiatives that build cohesion among communities/groups. These transformative peace dividends will primarily be implemented by youth and women. The Technical Advisor will work closely with the implementing partners in mapping/identifying and designing innovative and transformative women and youth focused peace dividend projects in the respective counties. The Technical Advisor will also coach and mentor the implementing CSOs in implementing the identified and designed peace dividends that seeks to deepen purposeful and sustained interaction amongst communities/ethnic groups in conflict, and which reduce differences and build trust, thereby sustaining social cohesion, even beyond the Program timelines.

2.0 Justification for the Consultancy.

Kenya’s electoral cycle has been marked with recurring political and electoral violence since the commencement of multi-party democracy in Kenya. The causes and drivers of violent conflict during elections differ and are linked to unresolved and emerging community and county level conflicts that acquire a national dynamic during elections. Counties that have experienced the wave of violent conflict during elections have a history of economic and political marginalization and exclusion connected to colonial and post-colonial state policies. In addition, a violence and conflict assessment conducted for USAID/KEA’s Democracy, Governance and Peace and Security Office (March – September 2023), which examined the role of natural resource management (NRM) in violence and conflict dynamics in five counties of Northern Kenya revealed that the impact of climate change and corresponding conflict over scarce resources will continue to increase and fuel localized conflicts and community grievances among other things. In addition, the presence of pre-existing social conflicts, such as ongoing conflicts over land or other resources, is a risk factor to the country’s political-economic system. Uncertainties around constituency boundaries compounds these issues considering that previously ‘protected’ constituencies that did not meet the population quota under the last electoral boundary delimitation exercise could in a new process lose the protection. These not only impact negatively on democracy and governance, but also the nation’s growth. Unmitigated, social conflicts can lead to disintegration of a country as geographical sections become ungovernable. It is because of this that the Program scope was expanded to focus on conflicts that are not traditionally classified as electoral/political. Because on this, peacebuilding strategies have therefore been expanded in order to address the root causes of conflicts and to build durable social cohesion.

Implementing partners will be supporting community integration, put in place peace “dividends” useful in consolidating gains realized. These peace dividends will therefore as of necessity be undertaken collectively by communities/groups that have previously been in conflict. While these dividends will “reward” communities economically by way of improving livelihoods, they ought to be transformative in nature, by evidentially helping the communities move from conflict and towards peace. As alluded to, the Technical Advisor will coach implementing partners in the seven counties/regions to conceptualize and develop these transformative peace-supporting initiatives that oversee their start-up and implementation.

3.0 Specific Objective of the Consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is technical support to implementing partners to develop and implement transformative peace dividends for communities in Isiolo, Nakuru, Laikipia, West Pokot, Baringo, Samburu and Kisumu/Kericho (the Sondu area).

4.0 Scope of Work

Towards this end, the Consultant will:

1. Using available data and survey reports under the ECCES Program, Act! and reports of other organizations, identity innovative suitable peace dividends to be implemented by the partners in their counties. Peace dividends can be aimed at improving communities’ economic power, livelihoods or be climate smart but their suitability is enhanced if they are equally transformative in that they consolidate social cohesion gains.
2. Engage implementing partners in mapping out peace dividends and mainstream conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm principles as well as beneficiary community groups that contribute to the objectives of the Program.
3. Support initiatives that are catalytic, strategic and sustainable, and that help to complement, consolidate and build upon existing efforts will be promoted. This can also include programming that widens the reach and impact of a promising practice.
4. Support partners introduce climate smart and digital variables that influence effectiveness of all peace efforts, including the prevention of conflict, resilience and transitions out of conflict.
5. Monitor the roll out of the peace dividends and progress and support implementing partners in learning and making necessary adaptations.

5.0 Deliverables.

1. Inception Report comprising a detailed workplan and a comprehensive methodology/approach;
2. Monthly progress reports;
3. Final consultancy report demonstrating how the objectives of the Program have been met by the transformative peace dividends implemented. The final report will of necessity incorporate the lessons learned and sustainability of the initiatives.

6.0 Duration

The assignment is expected to be accomplished in 60 working days over a 5-month period (15th February – 15th July 2025). The assignment entails significant travels with the Consultant expected to traverse the seven counties. Act! will provide work planned logistical support.

7.0 Reporting and Supervision

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the ECCES Program Deputy Chief of Party/Conflict Technical Advisor with support from the ECCES Program team. The deliverables will be assessed against the provisions of this scope of work set for the assignment.

8.0 Qualification of Applicant

The applicant should have a minimum of a Master’s degree in social sciences especially conflict management and peacebuilding and at least 10 years’ work experience strengthening/managing peacebuilding programs.