Finally! The Handbook of National Reporting Indicators which contains a comprehensive framework for monitoring the first Medium-Term Plan (MTP) 2008 – 2012, for the Kenya Vision 2030 is now available. The Handbook is Kenya’s newest tool that seeks to hold government and other development partners, civil society, among the donor community and the private sector accountable to its people.

It was launched by the Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision2030 Hon. Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya, on 12th October, 2009. The Handbook is a product of the National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System (NIMES) implemented under the Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) Directorate in the Ministry of Planning.

The M & E Directorate is charged with the responsibility of assessing implementation and progress of various developmental related projects and programmes and also looking at the results achieved or the impact of those projects on the socio economic well being of the citizenry.

M&E helps both government and development partners alike to better understand what public investments and interventions work well, which do not, and the reasons why. Monitoring the performance of public programs and institutions helps increase their effectiveness, provides increased accountability, and transparency in how public resources are used, and can inform the budgetary process and (re) allocation of these resources. This enhances their effectiveness to improve Citizen’s welfare by reducing poverty and inequality.

NIMES therefore aims at harmonising existing systems of data collection, reporting and review, with an overall goal to encourage, facilitate and advocate the use of M&E information in policy making and resource allocation throughout all levels of Government.

In this regard, the process of developing monitorable indicators was undertaken. The process ensured multi sectoral involvement, hence, the Handbook is a result of wide consultations from and by all Government Ministries, Development Partners, District and Constituency information, by Provincial and District officials together with their counterparts from civil society and the private sector.

Meant to open Government to the people, by empowering them with information, the Handbook (its short title) has been printed as a handy little document that can be carried around for easy reference.  It is chockfull of information on Government’s plans for the next four years.

Why have we prepared the Handbook? Who is the Handbook for? The Handbook is for the people of Kenya, whether in Nairobi, in Lamu, Kiambere, Tana, Athi River, Kisumu or Nzoia. It is for the President, Prime Minister, public servants and mwananchi. It is for the Jua Kali operator and the Chief Executive Officer. It is for the private sector and our donor partners. It is for women, men, children and youth. It is for Kenya in all its diversity. It is about the development plan for making Kenya globally competitive by the year 2030.

The intent of the Handbook therefore is to maintain focus on Kenya’s development, through the involvement of the people in keeping Government and its development partners accountable. Many of the projects and programmes stated in the Handbook are expected to be jointly funded by Government and its development partners, including the private sector.

The Handbook is divided into four easily recognizable sections. The first is a list of forty-eight economic, social and governance issues, which have been chosen as having the most impact on the economy and the welfare of the people of Kenya. These are the areas that will be measured by means of sixty-four indicators for which Government has set achievement targets.

The Kenya Vision 2030 Flagship projects, heralded as the main vehicles for economic growth are listed in the second section. These projects are shown along with planned actions for the next four years to ensure their completion.  The Ministries responsible for carrying-out these actions are also shown. This means that Kenyans can request a progress report from those Ministries at any time; for example, the Handbook shows the Flagship project for the construction of two (2) multi-purpose water conservation structures on the Nzoia and Nyando rivers, the definitive actions to be taken over the next four years to ensure that these structures are put in place and, that the Ministry of Water and Irrigation is the responsible agency for this project.

Another example is the Project by the Ministry of Housing to build a total of 125,000 housing units by 2013, with 94,513 units to be completed by 2011, 102,522 by 2012 and the full completion by 2013.  In a third example, the Handbook shows that a total of 400 worksites for Medium and Small Enterprises (MSEs) will be developed by the Ministry of Labour, adding to the current number of 249.

Notably, each flagship project has been broken down into annual implementation components. This will allow executing ministries to keep track of their progress, the Vision Delivery Secretariat (VDS) to monitor progress and assist in mobilization of resources as appropriate and, the Ministry of Finance to anticipate financial requirements for the projects as they progress.

The National Reporting Indicators Handbook is revolutionary as its third and fourth sections focus on tracking progress at the District level and on gender issues and women’s empowerment. Sixteen development issues have been singled for tracking at the District level. They are linked to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of poverty, hunger, school enrollment, infant, child and maternal health, the environment and HIV/AIDS. This information will help government to better identify the Districts with greatest need of development investment.

Finally, the Handbook sets targets for gender and empowerment issues. These targets are designed to close male/female gaps, e.g. in education, health, political activism. Equitable achievement of the MDGs underpins this gender framework.

Status reports on the progress on of the development issues, programmes and policies shall be produced annually by the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision2030, under its NIMES. More regular reports shall however be completed on the Flagships projects and disseminated to the people of Kenya to enable them hold the government accountable on what it has promised to deliver.

The writer, Dr. Olney Daly, is a Monitoring & Evaluation Advisor in the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030.