Job Vacancy at Act Change Transform (Act!)

Objectives of the study

The main objective (purpose) of this study is to investigate the changing dynamics of natural resource based conflicts in Isiolo, Laikipia and Samburu Counties in order to generate new strategies for preventing, managing and transforming the conflicts. The following are the specific objectives:

• Undertake a review of recent conflict studies to generate secondary data and knowledge gaps related to natural resource and political related conflicts in Isiolo, Laikipia and Samburu counties
• Establish the emerging dynamic, trends and drivers of natural resource based conflicts in the three Counties
• Assess the role of the key stakeholders, including National and County governments in managing and transforming natural resource based conflicts in the three Counties.
• Document any key lesson(s) learned in addressing natural resource based conflicts in the three Counties being studied
• Generate strategies and recommendations for addressing natural resource based conflicts in the three Counties, clearly articulating what the communities, County, National Governments and
• Development Partners can do to address the situation.

Proposed Approach

The approach will involve among others literature review, field visits/research and a validation workshop.

The detailed approach will be as follows:

• Desk review: The consultant will undertake a literature review of the recent secondary data in the realm of natural resource based conflicts in Kenya and beyond. Any gaps identified especially regarding natural resource conflicts will inform field research.
• Field Research: The consultant will suggest a representative sample based on an agreed criterion and will collect data using a variety of methods including questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, observation and photography among others. The data will be collected from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, CSOs, community leaders, ranch owners, pastoralists, conservancy owners, small scale and large scale farmers, religious institutions, business leaders, women among others.
• Validation workshop: The consultant will produce a report that will be presented to stakeholders in a validation meeting and the feedback used to finalize the reports.

Reporting and Supervision

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the PBCT Program Coordinator and with support from the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager and the Peace Building and Conflict Transformation Program Manager.

Deliverables

The deliverables will be assessed against the provisions of this scope of work set for the assignment. In synopsis, the following are the key deliverables:

• Inception report: Clearly describing the study design, sampling techniques, data analysis and a work plan for achieving the same. Preliminary secondary data, highlighting the main knowledge gaps, will form a key component of the inception report.
• Draft Conflict Assessment Report: This report, between 30 to 40 pages, will have detailed information analysing the changing dynamics of conflicts in the aforementioned Counties, its drivers and strategies for addressing the conflicts. This report will be reviewed by Act! staff and subjected to stakeholder review during a validation workshop.
• Final Conflict Assessment Report: A final report of not more than 40 pages incorporating comments from both the Act! reviewers and the validation workshop will be submitted to Act!

Duration of the Assignment

This task will be carried out over a period of 45 consultancy days.