Ex-post evaluation of the Kisumu Urban Project (KUP)
Context
The Kisumu Urban Project (KUP) was a strategic integrated urban development project financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by the city of Kisumu from 2012 to 2022. Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, Kisumu is Kenya's third-largest city and the primary commercial, industrial, and administrative hub in the Lake Victoria basin. It also serves as a crucial transport and communication hub in western Kenya.
The main objectives of the project were to improve the living conditions of Kisumu residents and enhance the capacity of local authorities to provide quality public services such as solid waste management, infrastructure improvement in informal settlements, market rehabilitation, and the enhancement of public infrastructure such as schools, health centers, roads, etc. This was the first project of such scale managed directly by the city of Kisumu and the first integrated urban development project led by AFD in a sub-Saharan intermediary city, considered particularly innovative.
Monitoring and evaluation are increasingly central to the culture, practices, and tools developed by the AFD group, serving France's policy on development and international solidarity. Monitoring and evaluation are essential for:
- Guiding the actions and decisions of the AFD group and its partners;
- Continuously improving projects, programs, and public policies, and ultimately development outcomes, through lessons learned from experience;
- Reporting on the actions taken, in a context of growing public development aid (ODA) and increased demand for accountability regarding the use of this aid.
Objective
Espelia was commissioned by AFD to conduct the ex-post evaluation of the Kisumu Urban Project (KUP), with specific objectives to:
- Assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of the project;
- Contribute to AFD's internal reflection on the management of integrated urban projects in intermediary cities;
- Share best practices in designing and implementing these projects with urban development stakeholders in Africa and beyond.
Our contribution
Espelia conducted the KUP ex-post evaluation in four phases: structuring the evaluation framework, conducting the evaluation, formulating conclusions and recommendations, and developing a filmed evaluation.
The evaluation highlighted several challenges, particularly in selecting priority investments and aligning project objectives with the local capacities of Kisumu municipal agents. Despite significant improvements in urban project management and quality of life in some Kisumu neighbourhoods, many investments were abandoned, limiting the project's overall impact. The project suffered delays and efficiency issues, mainly due to insufficient preparation of investments.
Key recommendations include better prioritization and alignment of objectives, a thorough feasibility study of investments, preliminary assessment of local capacities to operate and maintain equipment, and rigorous use of a project monitoring and evaluation framework.
It is crucial to define an implementation strategy adapted to the complexity of targeted investments and identified local capacities, plan adequate human resources, scale the technical assistance mechanism according to needs and in close consultation with local counterparts, clarify project implementation arrangements in an operational manual, and include a clear public participation and communication strategy.
Regarding equipment operation and maintenance, it is recommended to sign multiparty Operation & Maintenance (O&M) contracts before commissioning, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of all parties in terms of operation and maintenance. It is also essential to closely involve stakeholders responsible for equipment maintenance in project management, and condition AFD disbursements to the preparation of suitable O&M plans to ensure effective management and upkeep of project-funded infrastructure.
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