Call For Consultancy Proposals: assessment of civil servant’s perspectives in Kenya

Twaweza East Africa is a regional non-governmental organization registered in Tanzania with offices in Kenya and Uganda. We combine rigorous research with compelling public and policy engagement to demonstrate that citizens can collectively solve their systemic issues, amplify citizens’ voices and ensure they are taken seriously in decision making and we work with other actors in promoting and protecting open civic space in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

In Kenya, we have a good understanding of the various ways through which citizens exercise their agency (or not) as revealed in our past studies such as Sauti za Wananchi call rounds, Mystery Shoppers exercise and the Wasemavyo Wananchi studies in five counties.

We developed compelling communications and used the evidence to engage with policymakers at the national and county level. During launch events and other engagement activities, some civil servants stated that they find the evidence useful in executing their mandates. However, we do not have a good understanding on whether and how they are incorporating recommendations from our studies in enhancing citizen participation and availing public information to citizens. Moreover, we do not have a comprehensive understanding of factors enabling or constraining civil servants in facilitating citizens’ access to information and participating in local development decisions.

To cover these gaps, we propose a study on the perspectives and experiences of civil servants in availing information to the public and facilitating meaningful citizen participation in development processes. It will help us understand the supply side (that is, government responsiveness and accountability) because we already have a good understanding of the demand side (that is, citizen agency or lack of it).

Research Approach 

We consider three important dimensions of this study: perspectives vs experiences, information versus participation and enabling versus constraining factors.

Expected Outputs

1. Conduct an extensive literature review of relevant materials such as the Constitution of Kenya, the Freedom of Information Act and other regulations and policies related to access to information.
2. Co-draft the interview guide with Twaweza.
3. Conduct semi-structured interviews with at least thirty (30) senior and mid-level civil servants at the national level (10) and select local government authorities (20). The selected local government civil servants will be from Makueni, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet and Vihiga.
4. Analyze the collected data using modern analytical tools and methods.
5. Synthesize the collected data into two (2) outputs; a research report and a 6–8-page summary of the key findings.
6. Share the insights and field experiences with Twaweza during a learning session.
7. Produce a final report after incorporating inputs from Twaweza.

Expert Profiles and Qualifications

At a minimum, the consultancy or consultant must possess the following:

1. Demonstrated social science research experience, particularly in qualitative analysis.
2. Experience in conducting program and portfolio reviews.
3. Demonstrated knowledge and experience on relevant topics including governance, citizen
4. participation, community development, accountability and transparency among others.
5. Good understanding of citizen agency and public policy advocacy environment.
6. Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
7. Clear, effective writer in English.
8. Personal skills: good communication, analytical and drafting skills;

How to apply

Applicants should provide:

1. A summarized technical proposed approach to the work of no more than 5 pages. Attach CV
2. and letter of intent (within the stipulated timelines).
3. A well-laid-out financial proposal in Kenya Shillings (KES)

Application materials should be submitted to jobs@twaweza.org cc esiaga@twaweza.org with the subject: Assessment of Civil Servants Perspectives and Experiences on ATI Kenya.

All proposals should be submitted no later than May 19, 2023, 5.00 PM

For more information, read the full Terms of Reference here.