IGAD benchmarks against community projects for refugee hosts

The implementation of the Kenya Development Response to Displacement Impacts project by communities has attracted regional countries.

The countries have benchmarked on the project successes and challenges even as the World Bank extends it to their countries.

KDRDIP is funded by the World Bank at Sh10 billion for three years to help communities in Garissa, Wajir and Turkana to mitigate the effects of hosting refugees in their lives and livelihoods.

On Wednesday, Intergovernmental Authority on Development member states - Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia with Kenyan officials - toured the projects in Lagdera and Dadaab.

They toured Modogoshe Secondary School science laboratory, Dertu health centre medical lab which is under construction, Armed Tukale water project and two medical laboratories at Modogashe dispensary.

IGAD said they were impressed by how the project has helped improve the lives and livelihoods of refugee host communities at a time the residents are facing drought.

“What we have seen is good. Our take-home will be how the communities have been trained to implement and manage projects,” Djibouti’s director of social development agency Mahdi Mohamed said.

KDRDIP team leader Wilfred Omari said the project follows a community development approach where communities take charge of projects from prioritisation, planning and implementation.

Omari spoke at Armed Tukale where she led IGAD delegates to inspect the Sh13.6 million water project.

“We advise them to use locally available resources and contractors,  simple advertising methods such as placing adverts on trees, public spaces and announcements in mosques and schools,” Omari said

She however regretted the drought situation that has disrupted normal activities and patterns of settlement as people move in search of pasture leaving some projects unutilized or exposed to vandalism.

Omari urged both governments to collaborate and mitigate drought effects in the region to reduce the movement of people and help them establish permanent settlements.

Meshark Sikuku, director of relief, construction and development organisation said through training, the communities have democratically elected their committee members, procured tenders and supervise local projects. 

“Our role as facilitating partners is to undertake community mobilisation, sensitisation and capacity building to equip communities with skills to implement the projects,” Sikuku said.

“We lead the communities to elect committee members, train them on procurement, finance and project implementation procedures. It is satisfying to see communities getting funds to develop their villages.”

At Maalimin Primary School in Lagdera, the community prioritised the construction of teachers’ quarters, administration blocks, water dams and installation of a solar power grid to provide resources needed for the school to run smoothly.

Bashir Dahir, a member of the school board and the community development committee said the school has not had electricity and water since it began in 2006.

“We prioritised constructing a teachers’ quarters because most tutors are non-local and we want to make sure they are comfortable so that we can retain them,” Dahir said.

“Before this project, some of the teaching staff were not comfortable living here because this is an arid region without water, staff residence and electricity.” 

He was optimistic that the communities are ready to take development into their hands, choose their priorities right and implement the projects they need.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris