Safeguarding Democratic Space in Kenya (SADES-K) Monthly Report for March 2019

The Evaluation Committee reviewed applications and selected a contractor to undertake activities under Result Area IV. SADES-K supported two Building Bridges to Unity Initiative (BBI) county engagement forums and associated public-awareness campaigns. The team also supported EMBRACE, a women's platform, to commemorate the first anniversary of the BBI. In Result Area I, SADES-K assisted the BBI in conducting two county engagement forums. The Kakamega county engagement forum was held on March 14, 2019, with 326 participants. SADES-K supported publicity for the forum, including coverage by NTV. The BBI hosted similar county engagement forums in Vihiga and Busia, with media ads mentioning their dates. The Homa-Bay county engagement forum was held on March 27, 2019, with 187 participants. SADES-K supported the cost of media advertisements on Ramogi FM prior to the event. The SADES-K team opened discussions with EMBRACE, a women's platform that aims to harness a strong women's movement across the country to support the BBI. SADES-K supported EMBRACE to commemorate the one-year anniversary of BBI on March 9, 2019, at the Nairobi Serena Hotel. A total of 266 participants attended the commemoration, including key politicians, women Members of Parliament, Senators, and Members of County Assembly. The event provided a platform for women to initiate dialogue and voice their concerns on women's issues to the BBI through a memorandum they developed. In Result Area II, FHI 360 submitted the Merti Integrated Development Program (MID-P) grant to USAID for approval, which was approved on March 22, 2019. The Anglican Development Services of Kenya (ADS-K) grant package was submitted for approval to USAID on March 29, 2019. The grantees selected under Result Area II will focus on creating spaces for dialogue and strengthening structures for social and ethnic cohesion among and within their communities. In Result Area III, SADES-K Chief of Party Sam Kona and Internews Media Specialist Shitemi Khamadi held a meeting with the NGO Coordination Board Executive Director Mr. Mutuma Nkanata on March 25, 2019. The meeting enabled SADES-K and the NGO Coordination Board to introduce themselves and their initiatives and explore possible partnership. The Executive Director highlighted his progress during the three months he has been in office, emphasizing the Board's desire to change the culture of doing business and improve the working relationship with civil society organizations. In Result Area IV, SADES-K's Evaluation Committee reviewed applications received in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for this Result Area and selected a contractor to recommend for funding. The committee selected the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) of the University of Nairobi (UoN) based on criteria identified in the RFP. IDS has experience carrying out governance surveys/studies and has conducted surveys whose findings inform making of key decisions at national and local level. SADES-K revised the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP) in line with feedback received from USAID and resubmitted the plan. The SADES-K Chief of Party and the Communications Officer attended a meeting with USAID to discuss the plan.