Program Development and Analysis

Strategic Linkages

USAID/Kenya’s strategic plan has been thoroughly vetted with the Government of Kenya and USAID’s nongovernmental partners.

Strategic Plan Linkages to GOK development goals

The government of Kenya’s development goals are set forth in its National Development Plan 1997-2001, its National Poverty Eradication Plan 1997-2001, and Economic Reform Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERP).  The ERP, which emphasizes accelerating the rate of economic growth as the most important way to achieve broad-based improvement in the standard of living, is the most recent articulation of GOK goals.  There are strong convergences between it and the Mission’s strategy in many areas.  Like USAID’s strategy, the government’s ERP emphasizes agricultural development, stresses the need for land use, water, and environmental policies that are consistent with long-term agricultural production, and acknowledges the importance of increased contraceptive prevalence to reduce population growth rates.  It declares AIDS as national disaster, calls for comprehensive reform of the public health sector, and recognizes the importance of micro enterprises in alleviating poverty.

Strategic Plan Linkages to the Mission Performance Plan

USAID/Kenya’s strategy is also linked to the U.S. Embassy’s Mission Performance Plan (MPP) with which the USAID plan is fully complementary.  USAID/Kenya’s democracy and governance portfolio provides resources to meet the MPP goal of deepening democratic reforms based on a spirit of dialogue and compromise, acknowledging that democracy offers the best prospect of peaceful and prosperous Kenya.

USAID’s economic growth program is linked to three MP goals relating to economic prosperity.  USAID and the U.S. Embassy are part of a multi-donor effort to enhance good economic governance that could lead to real GDP growth rates of six percent.

USAID’s population and health program is closely linked to the MPP goal of reducing Kenya’s total fertility rate and reducing a transmission of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other agency proving technical, commodity, and financial assistance to the GOK’s national family planning program and HIV/AIDS prevention.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Unit (MRU) supports research programs focused on developing vaccines against work on other infectious diseases.  The Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) works with USAID in malaria research and HIV/AIDS including support for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis surveillance, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, integration of TB and HIV services, support for voluntary counseling and testing and prevention programs that target young and the uniformed services.  Both the MRU and CDC programs are linked to USAID and MPP population and health goals.

USAID’s NRM program is linked to the MPP’s environmental and biodiversity goals.

Although USAID’s contributions cannot completely counterbalance all challenges facing Kenya, by working in concert with the GOK, other donors, and other U.S. government agencies, USAID programs can help ameliorate those trends in the near term, and lay the groundwork for a brighter future.