A proposal to promote civic participation and to
strengthen youth’s participation and inclusion in
decision making
Name of Implementing Organization: Umati Kenya (CBO)
Contact person: Mr John Micheni
Executive Director
Tel: 0722600475
Email: [email protected]
Contact person: Ms. Wanja Mucuku
Director
Tel: 0722525768
Email: [email protected]
Project Implementation Area: Tharaka Nithi County‐
Funds Requested: Kshs 4,733,000.00
Due start date: January 1st 2023
Due End date: March 31th 2023
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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 3
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION to UMATI KENYA (CBO)................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2: PROJECT DESCRIPTION........................................................................................................ 6
2.1 CONCEPT OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................. 8
2.3.1 Goal .................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.2 Objectives .......................................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 PROJECT ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................................................... 8
2.4.1 To design a civic education curriculum/manual ................................................................................ 8
2.4.2 Training of Community Based Trainers ............................................................................................ 9
2.4.3 Training of community members ...................................................................................................... 9
2.4.4 Conducting 3 day mentorship and guidance workshops to equip grass-root Youth leaders with
leadership and decision making skills ....................................................................................................... 10
2.4.5 To lobby 70 local administrative land opinion leaders and to use existing local leadership structures
to support constitutional provisions that guarantee Youth’s participation in local and national leadership.
................................................................................................................................................................... 10
2.5 KEY PROJECT DELIVERABLES .................................................................................................... 10
2.6 SCOPE and BENEFICIARIES .......................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3: PROJECT MANAGEMENT, MONITORING and EVALUATION ..................................... 11
Chapter 4: SUSTAINABILITY ................................................................................................................ 11
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Chapter 5: BUDGET ................................................................................................................................ 12
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This project aims at improving the civic literacy and participation amongst Kenyans and to strengthen
Youth’s participation and inclusion in governance and decision making. In order to achieve this the
project will: (a) Conduct extensive public education on the new political system, devolved government
structure as well as democratic rights and practices, (b) Improve the effectiveness of grass-root Youth
leaders in leadership and decision making, (c) lobby local administrative and opinion leaders and use
local leadership structures to support Youth’s participation on local and national leadership.
The project will cost Kshs 4,125,000 and will run for the duration of 3 months. It is expected that by the
end of the project the following outputs will have been achieved:
1. Relevant and useful civic education curriculum produced and trained to community members
2. 10 community based trainers training community members on civic education using the curriculum
produced.
3. 100 groups (4,500 community members) trained on civic education, are aware of their rights and
demonstrate good citizenship in their day to day activities.
4. 20 grass-root leaders possessing and demonstrating good leadership and decision making skills
5. 20 local administrative and opinion leaders encouraging participation and involving Youth in local
and national leadership.
The project target area is Tharaka- Nithi County. All project activities will be managed by Umati Kenya
(CBO), which is a registered CBO that works towards capacity building of community groups as a
strategy of alleviating poverty and prevention of alcohol and drug abuse
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Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION to UMATI KENYA (CBO)
Umati Kenya is a community based organization which was registered officially on January 2011
under the ministry of gender children and social development, but began its operations in 2007.
Its main objective is to give opportunity to those youths in alcoholism and drug abuse to rebuild their
lives and help them contribute to the wellbeing of the society. In the last four years with the support
of dedicated human resources Umati Kenya has been carrying out various activities for the benefit of
the youths in eastern region. As a way of keeping the youths busy Umati Kenya initiated a tree
planting project in Tharaka Nithi county district where by the youths were given free seedlings to
plant, this has proved successful in that most of them can now contribute positively to development
of this country.Umati Kenya with the help of local leadership and churches has had on several
occasions organized mentorship seminars,counsellig services and sporting activities to various youths
and youth groups in maara district .Despite the limited resources Umati Kenya has noted a positive
behavior change among the youths involved. The organizations remains focused to its objectives and
will not relent on its quest to see a complete transformation on this part of the population that has
been for so long neglected by the leadership.
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Our Objectives
1. Promote education and awareness in the communities
2. Train on good group management and governance
3. Liaise with experts i.e the entrepreneurs and managers in the business world to enlighten the
youths on how they can save and keep their money in banks .Through this we wish to register
as many youths as possible open up accounts with the bank
4. We intend to invite motivational speakers to inspire the youths and let them realize of the
enormous roles and opportunities that exist for them.
5. Liase with experts on alcoholism and drug abuse to take the youths through the various effects
of alcohol and drug use.with this we intend to help those already hooked in the habit and
protect those not yet in the habit.
6. We will also invite legal experts to explain in details the contents of alcohol bill that was passed
by parliament and signed into law by the president. With this the youths will have knowledge of
the consequences of irresponsible drinking.
7. Ensure Formation of youth savings clubs among the youths at grassroots level. we intend to do
this with the use of youths representatives(youth elected leaders) in every sub location.
Through this the youths can be able to consolidate their savings and access loans from your
bank for various projects
8. Mobilize as many youths as possible through tournaments i.e sports, use of churches, provincial
administration, printed media, and SMS systems.
9. Network groups with other development partners
We are currently working with over 1,000 members situated in Meru, Chogoria, Marima, Chuka,
Tharaka, Magutuni, and Nairobi regions
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Chapter 2: PROJECT DESCRIPTION
2.1 CONCEPT OVERVIEW
The Kenyan Constitution show extensive powers and responsibilities transferred to counties.
47 counties were created as planning and implementing authorities and 290 constituencies as legislative
authorities. It is expected that the decentralization process will; provide more responsive, equitable and
participatory development; bring government and decision making nearer to the people; and to quicken
the process of implementing projects.
In order to achieve the ideals of the new constitution, the masses should be able to understand, appreciate
and believe in the constitution. Civic education is therefore necessary as a component of education that
cultivates citizens to participate in the public life of a democracy, to use their rights and to discharge their
responsibilities with the necessary knowledge and skills. It is recognized that a free society must
ultimately depend on its citizens and that the way to infuse the people with people with the necessary
qualities is through education.
For a democracy to flourish, a critical mass of its citizens must possess the skills, embody the values, and
manifest the behaviors that accord with democracy. The people must be willing and able to participate in
local and national politics, and they must believe that their participation is important to the continued
viability of the democratic system and national cohesion.
Various provisions in the Kenya constitution have made the participation of Youth in public decision and
leadership easier. It has created several opportunities for Youth to seek, take up and participate in
leadership and decision making at the local, regional and national levels. However Youth cannot make
use of these opportunities when they; lack access to the right information, cannot lobby for their inclusion
in decision making organs, do not understand the new forms of government and leadership, feel
prohibited by cultural barriers and, when existing leadership that is dominated by men is reluctant to
include them.
Current and aspiring Youth leaders need support for their leadership development. They need to be
encouraged to visualize new options and to take make use of the opportunities available to them.
Mentorship and guidance will help them visualize how they can make a difference, be role models for
change and get actively involved in the daily activities in their community.
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2.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Youth representation in parliament is very low, out of 21O MPs, only less than (10%) of them are Youth.
Kenyans, especially those living in the rural areas do not have much knowledge about the new democratic
structures and processes, and are unaware of the opportunities that exist for advancing their interests at
the local, regional, or national levels.
Youth have been constrained from entering local level politics and taking up leadership positions by the
lack of finances, time constraints and perception from the older generations responsibilities, income
generating activities and political work. The widely held perception that political activity is “dirty” and
not for decent Youth is also a barrier. Youth have also not been voted for because politics is often viewed
as belonging to an arena which is best managed by older generation. Husbands and families are reluctant
to have their Youth in the public eye. Youth lack public arena skills and some complain of intimidation.
With the increased democratic space and principals in Kenya, citizens may have unrealistic expectations
about what democracy is able to achieve and, may experience difficulty adjusting to the competition,
compromise, and loss that are inherent parts of the democratic political process.
The 2007/2008 Post Election Violence in Kenya, demonstrated that without values such as political
tolerance, trust in democratic institutions and, respect for the rule of law; the competitive nature of
Kenya’s politics can destabilize the country by instigating economic, ethnic, religious, or regional
tensions.
Civic education programs have tended to rely on passive methods such as lectures, materials distribution
and mass media campaigns to teach democratic orientations and behaviors. In order to have more
successful effects, more active methods are needed especially to have a lasting change in democratic
behavior and participation.
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2.3 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
2.3.1 Goal
The goal of the project is to improving the civic literacy and participation amongst Kenyans and to
strengthen Youth’s participation and inclusion in governance and decision making.
2.3.2 Objectives
The specific objectives of the project are:
1. To conduct extensive public education and sensitization on the new political system, devolved
government structure as well as democratic rights and practices to 100 community groups (4,000
members)
2. To improve the effectiveness of 20 grass-root Youth leaders in leadership and decision making.
3. To lobby 20 local administrative and opinion leaders and to use local leadership structures to support
constitutional provisions that guarantee Youth’s participation in local and national leadership.
2.4 PROJECT ACTIVITIES
In order to meet the above objectives the following activities will be conducted:
2.4.1 Design of a civic education curriculum/manual
The main objectives for designing a civic education curriculum are:
. To identify practical objectives that the training program will achieve and ensure that the solution
it provides are workable for the long term benefit of community members
. To ensure that the content is relevant to the needs of community members and building on their
experiences in an affirmative and participatory way
. To eliminate barriers to participation by making the training plan accessible to members by
identifying the appropriate times and places of training
. To ensure that the training program is adult oriented and takes into account the diverse realities of
community members
. To have a training plan that has the potential for rapid scale up, replication and can be used by
other development organs
. To identify what skills the facilitators will need in order to conduct the training successfully
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For achieving the above objectives the following sub tasks will be conducted:
1. Conducting a field survey to assess the current situation, and the training needs for the development
of civic education and capabilities amongst community members
2. Documentation of findings, report writing and dissemination of the report
3. Identifying objectives, developing content, materials and training methods relevant to the needs of
community members
2.4.2 Training of Community Based Trainers
The main objectives for investing in the training of trainers are:
1. To ensure that they comfortable with the content and can apply a broad range of training methods
2. To ensure that the trainers conduct high quality trainings to community members
3. To in-build sustainability into the project as they shall be resource persons in the community
For achieving the above objectives the following sub tasks will be conducted
1. Identification of suitable trainers from UMATI and the community
2. Conducting of 5 day residential workshops to equip the trainers with skills, knowledge and attitudes
to conduct the community trainings well.
2.4.3 Training of community members
The main objectives for training of community members are to:
1. Increase the community’s understanding and appreciation of the constitution, their civic rights and
duties
2. Raise awareness of the people’s rights as enshrined in the constitution
3. Encourage community members to manifest values for nationhood in their daily routine
4. Increase the number of people willing and able to participate in local and national politics
5. Make Youth aware of their gains in the constitution and how to advocate for the same.
The training will be targeted at community groups so as to make use of their extensive social networks to
disseminate information to a wider audience, and the use of groups will increase the participation of
Youth.
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In order to eliminate barriers to participation such as lack of incentives for participation, uncompensated
time away from work, transportation to the training venues, participants will be given meals and transport
allowances to enable them have longer 1 day training sessions.
2.4.4 Conducting 3 day mentorship and guidance workshops to equip grass-root Youth leaders with
leadership and decision making skills
The main objectives for the workshop for grass-root Youth leaders are to:
1. Make the Youth grass-root leaders into role models for change and to get involved in the activities in
their communities
2. Provide coaching and mentoring training so that they themselves can become coaches and mentors
3. Enable Youth in senior leadership positions and participants to exchange experiences and wisdom
with one another
4. Build support networks amongst the Youth grass-root leaders
5. Provide them with skills in public speaking, advocacy, negotiation, decision making and leadership
presence
6. Encourage grass-root Youth leaders to target higher leadership positions at both the local and national
levels
2.4.5 To lobby 20 local administrative and opinion leaders and to use local leadership structures to support
constitutional provisions that guarantee Youth’s participation in local and national leadership.
The main objectives for sensitizing local leaders and opinion makers are to:
1. Get their support in securing and implementation of constitutional provisions that guarantee
participation of Youth in leadership.
2. Build in sustainability by reducing resistance from the local elites and to increase dissemination of
information through local leaders.
Activity:
1. Conducting 1 day sensitization of local leaders and opinion makers
2.5 KEY PROJECT DELIVERABLES
1. Relevant and useful civic education curriculum produced and trained to community members
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2. 20 community based trainers training community members on civic education.
3. 100 groups (4,000 community members) trained on civic education, are aware of their rights and
demonstrate good citizenship in their day to day activities.
4. 20 grass-root leaders possessing and demonstrating good leadership and decision making skills
5. 20 local administrative and opinion leaders encouraging participation and involving Youth in local
and national leadership.
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2.6 SCOPE and BENEFICIARIES
The project will be undertaken in Tharaka-Nithi County which is located in the former Eastern Province
of Kenya, it borders Meru County to the North and North East, Kitui County to the East and South East,
Embu County to the South and South West. Counties in Kenya. Tharaka-Nithi County covers an area of
2,638.8 Km2 , and a population of 365,330. It has 5 administrative divisions and 3 constituencies namely,
Nithi, Maara and Tharaka.
Chapter 3: PROJECT MANAGEMENT, MONITORING and EVALUATION
The project will be managed by UMATI staff, consisting of the Chief Executive Officer, Program
coordinator, program manager and accountant. They will ensure proper use of project resources (human,
financial and technical) and will regularly monitor project activities to ensure compliance on time, quality
and budget. They will keep project sponsors, stakeholders and beneficiaries updated through meetings,
truthful and up to date reporting as well as dissemination of findings, reactions, emerging issues,
challenges and successes to a broad audience. Careful attention will put on the processes by which
objectives were achieved so as to aid future scale up and replication in other Counties. A final project
completion report will be written at the end of the project.
Chapter 4: SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability will be achieved through:
. Dissemination of a relevant, user friendly civic education content that meets the needs of the
beneficiaries.
. Working through groups will help speed up delivery of information even after the project is
completed.
. Use of community based trainers who will continue civic education training even after
completion of the project. They will also be resource persons in their communities regarding civil rights
and follow up of the same.
. Involvement of grass-root leaders
. Involvement of local administrative and opinion leaders to get their buy in.
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Chapter 5: BUDGET
The cost of the project is Kshs Four Million, seven hundred and thirty three Thousand (Kshs 4, 733,000).
The breakdown of the costs is illustrated in the table below:
Table1.
Estimated costs
of the project
Project
Objective
Project
Tasks
Resources
required
Unit cost
(Kshs)
No. of
units/ pax
No. of days Amount
Requested
(Kshs)
Sub
totals
1. To conduct
extensive public
education on
the new
political system
and devolved
government
structure
a) Conducting a
field baseline
survey
Research
consultant
10,000 1 10 100,000
Enumerators 8,000 2 3 48,000
Development of training materials 50,000 50,000
198,000
a) Conducting
interviews to
identify suitable
trainers from WAADI
and the community
Transport 5,000 1 3 15,000
Accommodation 5,000 2 3 30,000
45,000
b) Conducting
workshops for the
Trainer of Trainers
Training
Accommodation
of participants
5,000 10 5 250,000
Hire of lead training 15,000 2 5 150,000
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consultants
Hire of training venue 5,000 1 5 25,000
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