Strategic Communications Consultancy, Kenya at Namati

Consultancy Overview

As part of our initiative to support the widespread implementation of Kenya’s Community Land Act, 2016, we are seeking out the service of an expert strategic communications consultant. The consultant’s primary tasks will focus on conducting a desk review of successful and unsuccessful public awareness campaigns in Kenya, and developing a set of recommendations/best practices for carrying out public awareness campaigns in the country. The consultant will also work closely with Namati to develop, test, and assess key messages designed to increase community demand for support to meet the requirements of the Community Land Act. In addition, the consultant will test and assess various modes (i.e. radio, chiefs barazas, print media, ect) of communicating the messages and advise on which medium and set of messages spur communities to begin the process of registering their community land. Finally, as a result of this action research, the consultant will develop a Community Land Act Public Awareness Toolkit that can be adapted and implemented by various stakeholders, including NGOs, county governments, and the national government.

About Namati’s Community Land Protection Program

Namati works to proactively strengthen communities’ ability to document their claims and protect their customary and indigenous land rights. Our integrated approach combines the legal and technical work of mapping and documentation with the governance work of resolving land conflicts, ensuring intra-community equity, and strengthening mechanisms for accountable and participatory management of land and natural resources. A central aim of our work is the promotion of community-wide changes in governance that strengthen women’s land rights. As part of our governance focused work, we work with partners who support paralegals to document traditional community rules that might violate women’s rights, use rights-based legal education and activities to support women to demonstrate their key role in land management, and then support community members to think critically about rules that violate rights – and change them so they are legally compliant and do not infringe on women’s rights.

Our community land protection approach supports paralegals – who are selected by community members and trained and supervised by local partner organizations – to help communities to undertake a series of activities designed to produce strong community by-laws that ensure democratic governance, leaders that are accountable to community members, and good governance of lands and natural resources. Community Land Protection and Strategic Communications in Kenya As part of our efforts to support the widespread implementation of the Community Land Act, Namati is planning to carry out at least one major county-focused public awareness campaign on the Community Land Act that will lead communities to begin the process of documenting their community land.. Our initial research has shown that knowledge about the new law, both at the county-government and community-levels is very low. Although a small percentage of people know that the law exists, very few people at the community-level know details about the law, how to use it to legally register their lands, or how to request assistance to meet the requirements of the law.

Our research has also shown that county-government officials and technicians have little knowledge of the law and their legally mandated roles supporting its implementation. This among other things could be the cause of delayed process of community land registration. Namati’s programmatic focus over the past several years has been primarily focused on supporting communities to meet the requirements of the law through engaging with specific communities, we are now focused on determining how to bring the implementation of the law to scale. We believe that public awareness and generating community demand for support to meet the requirements of the law will determine whether the law is implementable at scale.

Specific Tasks and Deliverables for Consultant

• A detailed report that contains case studies about successful and unsuccessful public awareness campaigns in Kenya that aimed to inspire action and/or behavior change. The report should examine at least three successful campaigns, as well as three unsuccessful campaigns. In addition, the report should include a detailed description of each campaign and an analysis of why each campaign was a success or failure. Possible campaigns to assess include: a) Popularization of 2010 Constitution prior to the referendum; b) Recent voter registration campaigns; c) Census awareness; d) Plastic bag ban; e) Michuki seatbelt campaign; f) Makonde movement; g) Anti-FGM campaign; h) Nyumba Kumi rollout; i) Huduma Centers rollout.
• Detailed analysis of the Community Land Act and recommendation for key messages that are likely to inspire people at the community level to take action to meet the requirements of the law. Each message should ideally contain at least three elements: a) Threat: Why should communities use the law to protect their land rights? What might happen if they do not take initiative? b) Opportunity: How can communities use the law to protect their community land rights? c) Action: How can communities request assistance in meeting the requirements of the law? What requirements can communities complete on their own, without external assistance?
• Field testing (in focus groups) of messages in at least two counties (counties will be agreed upon between consultant and Namati). Messages should be tested with the following population groups: a) Women; b) Men; c) Youth; d) Local opinion leaders; e) Elites; f) Various ethnic groups; g) Communities that face immediate threats vs people that do not face immediate threats.
• A memo outlining the most impactful communications channels to reach each population group. The memo should focus on addressing the following questions: a) What is the most effective means of communication to lead rural communities to take action? b) What is the most effective means of communication to lead county governments to take action?
• Development of a Community Land Act Public Awareness Toolkit. The toolkit should include the following components: a) Background and methodology; b) Most impactful messages; c) Recommendation for communicating key messages to each population group; d) Plan and budget for rolling out public awareness campaign in one county.

Consultancy Timeline We anticipate that we will begin working with the consultant in May 2019. All deliverables should be completed by October 2019.

Consultant Requirements

• Deep knowledge of Kenyan cultural, social media, and communications contexts.
• Advanced degree in a communications-related field.
• At least seven years working directly strategic communications for civil society, governments, and/or political parties.
• Experience developing public awareness campaigns for low-literacy audiences.
• Experience working directly with communities in Kenya.
• Exceptional writing.