Kenya is currently in the process of devolving government to county levels. Under the new set-up, county structures will be responsible for disaster management. With this in mind, the third phase of the Kenya Inter-Agency Rapid Assessment (KIRA) project is working with a selected group of Government of Kenya (GoK) staff and their partners in humanitarian action at county level: UN agencies, national and international NGOs, including ECHO partners. KIRA is supporting them through the development of the skills, competencies, processes and tools they need to manage disasters in a more effective and sustainable manner when they do occur. KIRA training includes modules on disaster preparedness and contingency planning, disaster needs assessment, and climate change, food security and livelihoods.
The current phase of the project builds on work begun during its first phase in 2012, when considerable progress was made on the establishment of collaborative relationships with the same stakeholder group, and the building of their capacities. KIRA Phase III is the final stage of the project and aims to culminate in the full integration of these tools and processes into national mechanisms.
The project benefits from RedR's successful experience in Kenya, Sudan and Pakistan of taking a more coordinated and sustainable approach to Disaster Risk Management (DRM). This approach implies working with all stakeholders, donors, and cluster leads to ensure full coverage for, and agreement on, a common direction for DRM activities in Kenya. At all stages, consultations within the humanitarian sector will be actively sought. DRM and humanitarian principles are part of the fundamental building blocks that RedR will use to build capacity in at county level and embed this learning in GoK mechanisms.