Evaluation of the Finnish Development Cooperation in Western Kenya; Impact and Lessons Learned
Finland financed programmes in the Western Kenya since the end of the 70'ies. The main support has been concentrated in three sectors: primary health care, water and sanitation and livestock/dairy development. The bilateral Development Cooperation programme between Kenya and Finland was evaluated in 2002, assessing the relevance, effectively, efficiency and sustainability of the Finnish development cooperation in Kenya against the general political context. The evaluation specifically pointed out that if cooperation with the Kenyan Government will be considered the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland should carefully study the lessons learned from the earlier cooperation.
With a new extensive rural development programme being planned for Western Kenya, this evaluation was to provide a clear picture of lessons learned to complement earlier evaluations.
The purpose of this evaluation was to assess to what extent the projects/programmes, which Finland has financed in the Western Kenya, have generated impact, direct or indirect, on the level of development of the area and living standard of the target population. The evaluation identified whether the Finnish cooperation in the region has in any way caused changes in the attitudes and way of action of the population and authorities, private sector, civil society organisations and community groups. Most importantly, the evaluation assessed what have been the reasons for successes and failures and provides lessons learned that would be beneficial for the planned new programme in the area. The most essential question of the evaluation was: What works for whom and in what circumstances?
The scope of the evaluation covered the following Finnish development cooperation programmes implemented in the Western Kenya:
– Western Kenya Water Supply Programme (1981-1996, four phases)
– Community Water Supply Management Project in Western Province (1997-2003, two phases)
– Western Kenya Primary Health Care Programme (1984-1995, four phases)
– Rural Dairy Development Project (1979-1989, four phases)
Kenya-Finland Livestock Development Programme (LDP, 1991-2003, four phases)