Public Spending In Agriculture In Kenya:Is it Beneficial to Small Scale Women Farmers?

This report is based on secondary research coupled with fieldwork among smallholder farmers in four select county governments-Baringo, Kakamega, Migori and West Pokot. The report examines how distribution of public spending in the agricultural is beneficial to the needs of smallholder farmers, especially women. The report assesses women access to agricultural extension and research services, inputs and credit. It further seeks to understand the participation levels of mallholders in the planning and budgeting decision on the agricultural sector.

Walking the talk: Why and how African governments should transform agriculture spending

Agriculture budgets has often lack funds for operations (i.e. money allocated to actual projects) because too much of the budget is absorbed by recurrent costs such as salaries. Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, for example, spend 23 – 27 per cent of their agriculture budgets on salaries and administration. A further problem is that countries such as Zambia and Uganda suffer from a mismatch between the priority areas identified in government policy plans and actual budget allocations. Thus budgets are sometimes not actually spent in the manner that national governments had intended.

Integrity in Water supply service delivery in the public sector in Machakos County

This report highlights the findings of a baseline survey that was carried out by the Institute of Economic Affairs Kenya (IEA-Kenya) on how water consumers experience integrity in the water supply service delivery in the public sector in the County. The study was carried out between 16 and 21 September 2012 in the six constituencies that make up the County namely: Yatta, Masinga, Mwala, Kangundo, Kathiani and Machakos town constituencies. The study covered both rural and urban areas in the county targeting households and institutions.

Integrity in the Public Health Sector Service Delivery in Busia County

The Dynamics & Trends of Employment in Kenya

Since independence the creation of productive and sustainable employment opportunities has remained a central policy priority of the Kenya government. A number of policy interventions have been formulated and variously implemented in that period. Key among these policies is the growth-oriented development strategy augmented by a high wage and Kenyanization policies adopted at independence (Republic of Kenya, 1964). It was believed that long-term and sustained high rates of economic growth would facilitate generation of employment opportunities at rates higher than the proportionate increase in the labour force (Republic of Kenya, 1969). High wages were also expected to stabilise the labour force, lead to rapid growth in labour productivity and enhance industrial competitiveness and employment creation.

The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Poverty in Kenya

The debate on trade liberalization and its impact on poverty has remained a subject of debate in several forums, both at international and local level. This debate has been prolonged by the fact that there are no theoretical underpinnings that directly link trade liberalization to poverty. Trade liberalization is the removal or reduction of barriers to trade that ensures free movement of goods and services from one nation to another. Trade liberalization affects the direct determinants of poverty, such as consumption, employment and incomes. McCulloch et al (2000) have attempted

A Rapid Assessment of Kenya’s Water, Sanitation & Sewerage Framework

This research assesses the design and implementation of Water Act 2002. More specifically, it highlights strengths and weaknesses of Kenya’s water, sanitation and sewerage framework as per Water Act 2002, and ways in which the identified strengths can be built , and the weaknesses reduced

The State of Competition Report: Mobile Money Transfer, Agricultural Bulk Storage and Milling, and the Media Sectors in Kenya

The State of Competition Report is a research series that the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEAKenya) carries out every two years. The purpose of which, is to examine the state of the market in select sectors in regard to competition policy and practices by market players. Through the State of Competition Reportsm, we are able to highlight the competition challenges present in the crucial sectors of the Kenyan Economy.

The studies were therefore conceived as a mechanism for demonstrating the value of competition in select markets in Kenya. In this edition, the report examined the state of competition in sub-sectors of Mobile Money Transfer, Agricultural Bulk  processing, Storage and Milling, and the Media sector in Kenya. As originally  considered these individual market studies would uncover the trends or structural patterns that impinge or support competition policy and practices within Kenya’s economy.

Kenya Property Markets Scorecard

Property rights are among the most fundamental principles enshrined in Article 17 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and constitutionally protected in most states. Despite this worldwide legal recognition of the  importance of property rights to building peaceful, democratic, and prosperous societies, access to and protection of property rights vary greatly in practice.