Homa Bay government will not sign deals with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that duplicate work, the county Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga has said.
He said they have noted that a number of organisations have not been able to create an impact on the lives of Homa Bay people due to similarities in the programmes they implement.
Magwanga expressed concerns that Homa Bay has not realised a transformation commensurate with the financial resources such organisations receive to implement the projects.
Some NGOs take credit for other projects without their knowledge and continue to receive funding from their respective donors.
According to the deputy governor, assessment and evaluation of the impact of the projects undertaken by the organisations become difficult because they replicate most of their activities.
“It’s not easy to assess the impact of organisations which implement similar activities in the same area. We’ll not sign deals with NGOs which duplicate projects because of evaluation problems,’’ Magwanga said.
Speaking during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the county government and Care Kenya at a meeting in Homa Bay town on Tuesday, the deputy governor said they will only partner with organisations with transformational agenda.
In the MoU, Care Kenya is going to support area smallholder farmers to produce groundnuts and sorghum. It is a project of two years.
Magwanga and Leah Kagwara signed the MoU on behalf of the county government and Care Kenya respectively.
Justice and Mercy (JAM) organisation under director Kennedy Okoth is the implementing agency.
Statistics from the county department of Agriculture indicate that production of both sorghum and groundnut crops has reduced to 12 and 15 respectively.
Experts say that sorghum and groundnut foods are rich in nutrients capable of addressing malnutrition.
“Effective production of the crops will not only benefit the residents economically but also address food insecurity in Homa Bay,’’ Magwanga said.
Kagwara who is the country director of Care Kenya said the programme targets youths and women for economic empowerment and continuous source of labour.
In the partnership, the county government will provide tractors for cultivation and identify markets to sell the produce.
He expressed hopes that residents would embrace the programme because it is meant to empower them economically.
“Emphasis has been put on the production of food crops because of their nutritional values. We call upon youths and women to embrace the project due to its benefit,’’ Kagwara said.
