EVALUATION OF THE KENYA NATIONAL RANGE AND RANCH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

EVALUATION INCLUDED A REVIEW OF PROJECT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS, INTERVIEWS WITH APPROPRIATE GOVERNMENT OF KENYA OFFICIALS, DISCUSSIONS WITH AID, IBRD, AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL FUNDING AGENCIES, AND VISITS TO PRJECT SITES. ALTHOUGH SOME PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS WERE OUTSTANDING, THEY OFTEN FELL SHORT OF UNREALISTIC PROJECT GOALS. ESPECIALLY DISCONCERTING WERE THE TOO SHORT TIME-FRAME ALLOWED FOR GOALS TO BE REACHED AND THE ABSENCE OF CONTINGENCY PROVISIONS IN THE EVENT OF A DROUGHT. CONCERNING SPECIFIC OUTPUTS, THE TRAINING OF KENYANS IN RANGE/RANCH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, THE IMPROVEMENT OF KENYAN RANGE MANAGEMENT TRAINING INSTITUTIONS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RANCHES ALL SEEMED TO BE GOING WELL. PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRAZING BLOCKS, BUT THIS HAS BEEN MARRED BY LACK OF MAINTENANCE. MANY OF THE CONSTRUCTED RESERVOIRS WERE RAPIDLY FILLING IN WITH SILT, AND ONLY ONE OF THE 37 BOREHOLES WAS OPERATING. THE PLANNED MEAT PROCESSING STUDY WAS COMPLETED IN 3/77, BUT FIVE OF THE SEVEN MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN ACTED UPON BY THE GOVERNMENT. THE CREDIT INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST RANCH DEVELOPMENT WERE PRESSING RANCHES TO GET FURTHER INTO DEBT THAN WAS IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS. FINALLY, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE FACILITIES FOR PROJECT EQUIPMENT HAS NOT BEEN ACHIEVED. AMONG THE UNPLANNED POSITIVE PROJECT CONSEQUENCES WERE THE SENSITIVIZATION OF TECHNICIANS, FINANCIERS, PLANNERS, AND INTERNATIONAL DONORS TO THE REALITIES OF A FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT AND THE REDUCTION OF FRICTION BETWEEN TRIBAL CLANS. SOME 39 RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE CONCERNING GENERAL PROJECT DESIGN AND STRATEGY; ECONOMIC, ECOLOGICAL, AND SOCIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS; AND PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING THE INTERESTING CONCLUSION THAT, ALTHOUGH THE EXPANSION OF CATTLE PRODUCTION OVER THE SHORT-RUN SHOULD BE FOSTERED BY PERMITTING CATTLE PRICES TO RISE, IT IS NOT IN THE LONG-TERM INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF KENYA TO INCREASE PRESENT LIVESTOCK NUMBERS.