Kenya

'European Joint Cooperation Strategy with Kenya 2018-2022' - JP under exploration

European partners in Kenya endorsed the Joint Cooperation Strategy (JCS) with Kenya 2018-2022, which constituted the second phase of EU Joint Programming in Kenya, and through which EU participants supported the priorities and objectives identified by the Government of Kenya in the Third Medium-Term Plan (MTP III) 2018-2022 and the Political Manifesto of the current government, the “Big Four Agenda”. 

The joint strategy 2018-2022 identified four priority areas:

1. Accountability and Governance
2. Sustainable infrastructure
3. Employment creation
4. Resilience building

EU DPs cooperated as regards interventions in other strategic areas of interest such as the environment, climate change, irregular migration, forced displacement, women’s empowerment, peace, stability and security. Tackling inequalities, particularly gender inequality and disability, was comprehensively integrated as a priority issue across all areas.

Operationalisation of the Joint Strategy used a three-pronged approach focusing on 1) Joint implementation; 2) Joint communication and visibility; and 3) Monitoring and evaluation. 

The Joint Programming document also included a joint monitoring process to report on the Strategy. It enabled the EU Development Partners to measure the progress made in terms of aid effectiveness commitments but also had an assessment of the benefits of the Joint Programming process to the donors themselves.

The first European Joint Cooperation Strategy with Kenya covered the period 2014-2017 and was aligned with the country's Second Medium Term Plan and Vision 2030. 

Challenges and opportunities for Joint Programming in the country

Opportunities:

• Kenya Long term Vision 2030: provides a long-term vision of the country's Development Plan
• Existence of EU joint initiatives

Challenges

• ODA does not represent a substantial share of development financing of Kenya; therefore the Government buy-in for Joint Programming can be superficial
• Important influence of the USA, the World Bank and the African Development Bank as well as China and India, lowering the impact of EU partners;
• Difficulties to reach synchronization of the different programming cycles.

Roles of EU+ Development Partners

European partners present in Kenya and engaged in Joint Programming are the European Investment Bank (EIB), Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Slovak Republic, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In parallel, the Joint Cooperation Strategy is further supported by Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain, who do not have active cooperation portfolios but engage with Kenya on other levels and are actively involved in the different strands of the joint EU political and policy dialogue with the Government of Kenya.