Outcome Harvesting for the Enhancing Good Governance in Kisumu and Bungoma Counties

August 2025 | Kakamega County

Pamoja for Transformation, with support from GIZ-CPS, recently concluded a comprehensive Outcome Harvesting Evaluation of the project “Enhancing Good Governance in Kisumu and Bungoma Counties.” The two-day evaluation exercise, held on 18th–19th August 2023 in Kakamega County, brought together key stakeholders, community representatives, and project beneficiaries to reflect on achievements, challenges, and lessons learned over the past 12 months.

Key Findings Across Three Levels of Change

At the Individual Level: The project successfully empowered youth advocates through targeted training, equipping them with foundational skills in governance and advocacy. These champions have since actively engaged county stakeholders to demand improved service delivery. However, participants noted that the three-day training duration was insufficient for mastering complex advocacy concepts, highlighting a need for more sustained capacity building.

At the Community Level: Communities in both counties have shown increased receptiveness to collaborative, non-violent approaches in advocating for their rights. Working alongside youth peace champions, residents are now more confident in engaging local authorities constructively significant shift toward peaceful civic participation.

At the Institutional Level: Both Kisumu and Bungoma Counties are advancing peace policy development, though the processes remain slow and resource intensive. While Bungoma has a youth policy in place (currently requiring review), Kisumu is in the early stages of formulating its own. The evaluation emphasized that policy adoption and implementation will require long-term advocacy, strategic stakeholder engagement, and dedicated resources.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

The evaluation identified several implementation challenges, including:

• Limited project duration relative to the complexity of peacebuilding and governance work

• Resource constraints

• Emotional toll on participants engaged in sensitive advocacy

• Inconsistent feedback mechanisms from county stakeholders

Key lessons emerged around the importance of local ownership, empowerment, and multi-level change strategies. Notably, embedding peace advocates within existing Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and NGOs proved vital for sustainability, ensuring continuity beyond the project lifecycle.

Looking Ahead: Recommendations

Based on the findings, the evaluation offers actionable recommendations for future phases, including:

• Extending training durations and offering follow-up mentorship for youth advocates

• Developing a structured advocacy action plan to support policy implementation

• Strengthening feedback loops with county governments

• Securing longer timeframes and flexible funding to match the pace of institutional change

This outcome harvesting exercise not only validated the project’s impact but also laid a strong foundation for deeper, more sustainable governance reforms in Western Kenya.

Stay tuned for updates as Pamoja for Transformation and GIZ-CPS integrate these insights into the next phase of the initiative.