A chat with Nicholas Shiateya and George Odhiambo Ogolla - Kenya CSA
Highlights from the interview
Conducted 28th September 2016
Interviewees:
Nicholas Shiateya- Manager- Programs and Projects-DSW
George Odhiambo Ogolla- Executive Committee Member Kenya CSA
Policy development: Strongest area of intervention
On the National Food security and Nutrition Policy
“What we have done around this particular area is to organise events with key policy makers and legislative players, like the National assembly and Senate ……… on how we can have this come out as a Bill.........so that nutrition issues will improve in the country at national and county level”. Nicholas Shiateya
On advocacy for budget allocation
“In the budgeting process the CSA has engaged at national and county level to participate in the budgeting process..…...In this process there is an aspect of citizen participation ……where they are engaging members of county assembly and executives and there is a forum….Public Economic Forum….where the Governor is the chair…with representatives from the community”. George Odhiambo Ogolla
“One of our successes has been our advocacy efforts and budget hearing sessions. Through this engagement we have had the county (Nairobi) allocating some money, which was never there before to nutrition….”. Nicholas Shiateya
Second strongest area of intervention
Communication
“CSA engages with community through Radio talk shows…..a platform for accountability to engage in public forum to showcase what it is that their county assembly is doing in terms of budget allocation, policy formulation making sure nutrition is talked about and provided for....” George Odhiambo Ogolla
On community mobilisation
“….we make them aware and informed about nutrition to engage county government with nutrition in mind to make sure that malnutrition is a thing of the past in Kenya”. George Odhiambo Ogolla
On Learning Route expectations
“…. how we can make sure that SUN activities are fully taken to the grass root”. Nicholas Shiateya
On what CSA expect from Kenya representatives
“….we expect them to bring us insights… good things happening in other countries we can borrow from and apply in Kenya”. Nicholas Shiateya
“I believe the learning route is a timely event as Kenya is in the process of decentralizing SUN from National to County. We want to learn the mistakes they made and how they overcame them so that we will not repeat the same mistakes”. Nicholas Shiateya
On preparing delegates for Learning Route
“Once we know who is going to Rwanda. We will decentralize the preparation to each sub committee (advocacy, policy and governance and resource mobilization) so that they are able to take this to the executive committee to consolidate […..] an all-inclusive theme, so that whatever is presented in Rwanda will be the voice of the Kenya CS Alliance”. George Odhiambo Ogolla
“We have already planned for a meeting towards the end of October for all CSAs meeting to “bless” the people going to Rwanda”. George Odhiambo Ogolla
On communication between CSAs after LR
Suggestion to come up with a communication platform:
“a virtual space…… something online”. Nicholas Shiateya
“First approach will be to identify communication focal points for respective member countries…” George Odhiambo Ogolla
“Establish a regional communication channel, a hub were any update comes from”. George Odhiambo Ogolla
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW
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Section1: Identifying examples to share at LR Rwanda
Q1. Which of these is your strongest area of intervention? Why? Tell me about your best practice example?
Engagement in policy development (policy tracking and Budget Allocation)
Nicholas: Policy development: We’ve done well in policy development. There is a policy The National Food Security and Nutrition that we are using as basis for advocacy activities. One of the key things that this policy outlines is the enactment of Bill that can help it get the force…. This policy guides us on how issues of food and nutrition needs to be entrenched within the county governments.
What we have done around this particular area is to organise events with key policy makers and legislative players Like the National assembly and Senate where we are currently in discussions on how we can have this come out as a Bill...that can help us establish required structures at the national and county level to have good coordination….so that nutrition issues will improve in the country at national and county level.
There are other activities. One of them is Budget analysis and allocation. The Kenyan constitution allows for any budget that is supposed to be adopted by the government to ensure that there is public participation. Our role as CSA is to ensure that the public is aware of these processes… to ensure that there is allocation to nutrition and ensure resources….that have been set aside to be factored in supporting nutrition both and national and county level.
George: Kenya is blessed with a constitution that is all-inclusive. Since the inception of SUN Movement in Kenya there is a key document we have developed as a team…that is all sectors inclusive, all networks inclusive…
This document is called National Nutrition Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation Strategy 2016-2020. Before it was developed the Consultant engaged all the relevant stakeholders both national and county level to identify to identify key strategic issues which are affecting nutrition programming in Kenya. These are grouped into three strategic pillars: Pillar 1 is on Governance – political prioritization, enabling environment in terms of policies, multi-sectoral platforms and sector specific coordination. Pillar 2. Capacity to deliver-human resource, financial resource, M&E, financial management, equipment and other structures in health and other sectors facilities. Pillar 3 is Behaviour and practice- we are advocating for supply but demand must be a key issue… what is it in the community that is affecting nutrition programming in terms of beliefs and practices, health seeking and nutrition service seeking behaviour. Launched early this year (2016) when the Global Nutrition Report was being launched.
Kenya CSA has also developed a strategic plan that runs up to 2021. Key deliverable…. is advocacy embedded in the Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation Strategy.
In the budgeting process CSA has engaged at national and county level to participate in the budgeting process that starts from August and ends in June the following year. In this process there is an aspect of citizen participation …we have formed chapters at county levels…where they are engaging members of county assembly and executives and there is a forum….Public Economic Forum….where the Governor is the chair…with representatives from the community.
For nutrition to be budgeted for there are key documents at county level: County Integrated Development Plan (5 year plan) there is review every year before the budgeting process begins so that each and every department looks at their specific output that they want to cover in that financial year but have to review if they met their objectives.
Health Sector Strategic and Investment plan (5 year) where nutrition must be factored. The annual work plan is borrowed form this document. If nutrition does not appear in these two documents then it cannot be budgeted for. As CSA we are engaging in making sure that nutrition is part of the Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan and AWP. What guides us to ensure that nutrition is part of this document is the Country Nutrition Action Plan…customised at county specific level…. with 11 strategic objectives.
Development review, production of copies…relevant stakeholders are involved in this.
Nicholas: One of our successes has been our advocacy efforts and budget hearing sessions. Through this engagement we have had the county (Nairobi) allocating some money, which was never there before to nutrition. For county to meet its nutrition target. Nairobi County allocated to nutrition 50 million Kenya shillings.
Q2. Which is your second strongest area of intervention? Why? Tell me about your best practice example?
Nicholas: Communication. What is guiding us is National Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation Strategy. This is a document that every person engaged in community communication has to refer to with clear and common message that we are sending out [….] at national and county level. Kenay CSA was involved in document development alongside key players and made sure various groups were represented.
George: As CSA in advocacy interventions there was a need for the creation of nutrition portals in each and every county-website. We want a portal created for nutrition so that anything on nutrition is communicated with every other person [….]
We are going to ensure that nutrition profile per county is developed. To have a brief fact of nutrition situation in each and every county and posted on the website. We are looking ate ways of linking these county portals to the national portal.
CSA engages with community through Radio talk shows. There is a platform for accountability to engage in public forum to showcase what it is that their county assembly is doing in terms of budget allocation, policy formulation making sure nutrition is talked about and provided for....a platform for accountability. Another vehicle is People’s Parliament in each county, where they have a speaker....community members trying to engage county government in being accountable for all development issues they have in the county….we make them aware and informed about nutrition to engage county government with nutrition in mind to make sure that malnutrition is a thing of the past in Kenya.
CSA in Kenya was formed in October 2013. In 2014 KDHS showed that 26% that is 1 out of 4 children were stunted a reduction from 35%. Even before SUN Movement there were actors…. As a result of our efforts… separate intervention that reduction was realized. But then since the SUN movement we have come together to pull efforts together. Need to see before the intervention (of SUN) and after our intervention as a joint force to compare joint as opposed to separate efforts.
Q3. Which is your third strongest area of intervention? Why? Tell me about your best practice example?
George: MSP: We are grappling with this in Kenya. But the CSA is keen on this. The FS and Nutrition Bill has been taken up by Ministry of Agriculture and Health to be part of Acts of Parliament…. which proposes a multi sectoral action for nutrition. At county level we sensitized various actors on nutrition.
We want Joint training a comprehensive package (as a health of agriculture practitioner) to deliver to particular household at one go. This Bill is going to unlock many things.
Nicholas: We really want to learn from other countries to see what they have done regarding MSP. The Act is proposing that nutrition is Placed at highest level…. At Office of the President. In the county….at the office of the Governor.
Accountability is the key here. It is in law and you have to observe it.
Section 2: Expectations of the LR Process
Q1. What do you expect to get out of the learning route experience from the participants appointed by your CSA?
Nicholas: See areas where we can learn and see how well we can do them...see how we can make sure that SUN activities are fully taken to the grass root. The representatives [….] we expect them to bring us insights… good things happening in other countries we can borrow from and apply in Kenya. I believe (LR) is a timely event as Kenya is in the process of decentralizing SUN from National to County. We want to learn the mistakes they made and how they overcame them so that we will not repeat the same mistakes.
George: Innovative approaches- I’d love to learn this from the successes that each country has to show case. And the approaches they are using. How do they embed these SUN approach in their governance structures to achieve their success they will be showcasing [….] policies how are they engaging the policies (formulation, implementation) in their governance structures? What major do they play? [....] participation?…taking the lead….technical expertise how do they engage with the relevant people in policy formulation.
Advocacy: Kenya has advocacy approach but lacking experience in developing tools for communication that we can use for specific audience. Would love to know how to develop certain tools for communication for example drafting a position paper, policy brief on a specific issue….Memorandum, how do we tailor them to a specific audience?
Q2. How do you plan to use what you have learned (directly or indirectly) from this experience when you return?
Nicholas: These things we are discussing are within be our mandate (Kenya SUN CSA). This is the perfect time for putting life into policy documents outlined….we will be supportive. Once the learning event is done we will want to look at what has been learned and how we can entrench tem in our activities we will be supportive to ensure that all our membership (58 CSOs) are brought to know share information to understand where they are coming from. We will involve them now to apply what we have done in preparing the delegates. Create a supporting environment with framework for learning and sharing and good will from leadership.
George: Lead advocacy in IMC. This LR I will not take for granted. When I come back, knowledge management is very key improvement in advocacy skills. Knowledge Management is key. Will have to put the learning to good use in Kenya. We will have to start from our respective organization. Nicholas has a Country Directors forum twice a year. Each delegate to share with their respective country directors will mean a buy in of 4 country directors. Help inculcate buy in of SUN with country leadership. Forum of CSO members. Will convene together to share learning, members will be sensitised of best practices and best approaches in scaling up nutrition so that they cascade to their country chapters.
Q3. What do you think the CSA could/should do to ensure an enabling learning environment before (supporting participants in sharing about the CSA) and after (supporting the participants in sharing and disseminating the learning with the Alliance CSOs)?
Nicholas: Once [delegates] are identified, we will want to prepare them… them being clear about their expectations. For those picked it offers them learning opportunity but they will need to prepare fully. They will need to have a role even input in the schedule that will be used in the event. Supportive environment will be provided
George: Once we know who is going to Rwanda. We will decentralize the preparation to each sub committee (advocacy, policy and governance and resource mobilization) so that they are able to take this to the executive committee to consolidate […..] an all-inclusive theme, so that whatever is presented in Rwanda will be the voice of the Kenya CS Alliance.
We have already planned for a meeting towards the end of October for all CSAs meeting to “bless” the people going to Rwanda.
Q3. To make the learning experience enjoyable and fulfilling what innovative ways can you think of to share your best practices? Why?
Nicholas: A cocktail of presentation approaches. Could have someone just sharing a documentary… on a given topic, every presentation to allow a bit of group discussion....from the host country field visits, invite someone from the government (Rwanda) who has worked with CSAs to come and give testimony.
George: Testimonies-success stories. For us to acertain that it is a success story, a government official wil come to tell us what level of support the CSA has offered them to SUN.
At community level how can we engage communities to give testimony… how best you can do it so that it does not appear as if they are prepared …but community is not prepared.
We could have a panel discussion… in a case whereby you bring Kenya and Zimbabwe and have a moderator asking key questions…take 2, 2 countries to go and share in a group. Tanzania and Malawi go and share in a group, share what they have done, Tanzania take notes, then they present what they have learnt from Malawi to confirm that they have learned what they are doing. Take notes from each other and put in a power point. One will present to the team. E.g. Tanzania for Malawi. This will encourage interaction, we would have learned and internalized.
Nicholas: Beyond this activity. Will there be a conference. How will we come to a platform where we can share?
Q4. Have you used this innovation before? (If yes) what was the outcome?
George: During WBFW we had panel discussions from each network. A Radio presenter was the moderator asking about roles in SUN Kenya…. Areas in which they (networks) are weak were identified for strengthening; areas identified as their strong points were to be upheld. Non-technical people were able to engage in the discussions to highlight that malnutrition was a multi-sectoral issue.
Held a conference for CSA’s in May. This was on how we can scale up nutrition sensitive programmes.
CS in nutrition will gain high standard from what they have been doing- how scalable and applicable in other countries
Secretariat of the committee taking notes of presentations on behalf of the team. I am happy to be singled out for the approach used for advocacy. That is systematic. People learned form this. Evidence formation form this base don my experience form the county
Nicholas: Panel discussion used in delivery-helped us get different players to clarify issues. For the participation of both from very different perspectives. Have a buy-in (politicians) have a better understanding.
Panel discussion is instrumental in addressing questions nagging/ better placed know how to go about engaging with politicians and other key stakeholders.
Q5. What materials (posters, documentary, audio) have you found useful in the past for learning and sharing knowledge? Why?
Q6. What materials have you not found useful for learning and sharing knowledge? Why?
George: Useful audio materials- one on stunting reminding people that malnutrition exists in even urban communities
Policy briefs, fact sheets
Documents are key instruments. Very useful for advocacy.
Section 3: Communication among CSAs
Q1. Are you engaging with other CSAs? (If yes) How?
Nicholas: Virtual space-come up with something online. Members ask questions/ways to address them.
George Communication between various CSAs.
Not been in touch with other counterparts. It will therefore be good to establish this as we will be going to learn. First approach will be to identify communication focal points for respective member countries from there a template developed for updates to use. Establish a regional communication channel, a hub were any update comes from. Twitter, FB, WhatsApp
Q4 What are the likely advantages/disadvantages?
Nicholas: Information fatigue. Need to understand what people want, get their inputs before developing a communication channel.
George: FB a social forum. Each nation has its way of communicating. Need to consider this and be mindful of what gets into the public forum. If FB to be used there will be a need to develop guiding principles- what to communicate how and who to communicate with.
Nicholas: Must have priorities-educating each other- remain credible so that everyone can learn from it. There is a lot to learn. As a nation there is something we can learn from others and others learn from Kenya
