Safeguarding Democratic Space in Kenya (SADES-K) Monthly Progress Report: October 15- October 31, 2018

The project is led by FHI 360, in partnership with the US Department of State and USAID. The SADES-K team, led by Chief of Party Sam Kona, engaged with key stakeholders, including the Bureau of Budget and Planning (BBUI), to discuss project implementation and national dialogue activities. The BBUI confirmed receipt of funds to implement national dialogue activities and anticipated personnel changes to enhance the body's functionality. The BBUI's term was extended to October 2019, and the organization was scheduled to meet on October 22nd to finalize its internal planning process. The SADES-K team also facilitated co-creation workshops for Result Areas 2 and 3, which brought together stakeholders to discuss challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions facing Kenyans in these areas. The workshops resulted in valuable inputs and project frameworks that will inform the strategic and operational direction of the SADES-K project. The SADES-K team made significant progress in project staffing, with FHI 360 completing the hiring of additional staff to support the project. Program Assistant Neema Afwande is set to join the team on November 1, and top candidates have been extended offers for the Grants Officer and M&E Officer positions. The team also received office furniture from IFES and is negotiating the transfer of a vehicle. In addition, FHI 360 submitted the revised Branding Strategy and Marking plan and implementation plan for the remaining 10 months of program year 1. The SADES-K team introduced a draft Request for Application (RFA) to participants at the co-creation workshops, which was finalized based on feedback from participants and USAID. The RFA will be released in November, and the team is drafting a framework for rapid response funding to support both the BBUI and civil society organizations. FHI 360 also began a series of meetings with potential vendors to conduct national dialogue monitoring and opinion polling under Result Area 4, and is drafting a corresponding Request for Proposals (RFP) for the monitoring and opinion polling procurement. The SADES-K team attended a meeting convened by USAID for Chiefs of Party of implementing partners conducting USAID-funded projects in Kenya, which focused on transformational leadership and advancing USAID's commitment and capacity for self-reliance. Sam Kona and Theo Dolan also continued building out a political risk analysis document with potential mitigation strategies, which will be updated based on additional information provided during the co-creation sessions.