Consultancy to Support Water Policy Review- Resilient Arid Lands Partnerships For Integrated Development Plus (RAPID+)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultant/Subject Matter Experts to Support FCDC Counties in Review of Water Policies/Acts and Develop a Policy Brief on Incorporating Climate Mitigation & Adaptation Considerations in County Water Policies/Acts

For a copy of the ToR, please click here.

Background

The Resilient Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development Plus (RAPID+) program is a five-year program running from November 2021 – September 2026 convened and led by MWA. The program has primary funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Corporation (SDC) and contributions and investment funds from private sector actors, four facilitating partners including CARE Kenya, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Food for the Hungry (FH) and World Vision (WV) and the five hosting county governments of Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana, and Wajir. RAPID+ aims to improve access to water and rangeland services for 200,000 people in the five program counties. RAPID+ activities are anchored on four strategic pillars namely gender equality, market systems development, peace building and knowledge management.

Project Goal and Objectives.

The program goal is to improve access to safe and sustainably managed water and rangelands across the five counties to contribute to resilient livelihoods for communities in a peaceful environment. This goal is pursued by the following two outcomes.

• Pastoralist communities have increased access to sustainable and safe water for multiple uses benefiting men, women, and youth, and
• Pastoralist communities have improved access to safe and ecologically healthy rangeland resources that promote greater integrity, social cohesion, and gender equity.

The program Theory of Change (TOC) states that “If we improve access to sustainable and safe water for multiple uses that benefit men, women and youth and also improve access to safe and ecologically healthy rangeland ecosystems, that promote greater integrity, social cohesion and gender equity through strong public, private and community institutions; then communities in the target areas will have increased income, gender equity and empowerment, enhanced livestock systems, a more peaceful environment, conserved ecosystems and improved health status; and therefore, resilient livelihoods that promote peaceful cohesion and gender equity will be achieved.”

Under Outcome 1 (Water for Pastoralist communities) RAPID+ has achieved the following results:

Output 1.1: Capacities of public and community institutions to deliver water services are strengthened.

• Supported the development and review of the Wajir Water Management Bill 2023.
• Conducted commercial and social viability assessments for 3 rural water utilities, setting the stage for long-term rural water governance.
• Supported the Frontier Counties Development Council’s (FCDC) Sector Forum for Water to conduct policy discussion workshops on rural water service delivery and developed a Policy Brief of Rural Water Service Delivery in FCDC counties
• Provision of management consultancy services to Diocese of Lodwar’s Turkana Water Project to assess the scheme’s business viability and develop a Strategic Business Plan.

Output 1.2: Additional and existing water infrastructures are well-maintained and operational.

• Increased access to reliable and safe water for household use through rehabilitation 15 key water systems, benefiting 60,233 people (31,653 males and 28,580 females) living across Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Turkana, and Garissa counties. These water systems also serve 34,440 livestock, including 3,810 camels, 24,650 shoats (goats and sheep), 4,740 cattle, and 1,240 donkeys, bolstering the resilience of pastoralist communities.
• Supported investments in climate smart and energy efficient innovations included solar hybrid systems.
• Supported Marsabit Water and Sewerage Company (MARWASCO) to reduce Non-Revenue Water (NRW) from 68% to 47% through leadership training and infrastructure upgrades.
• Enhanced Private Sector Participation in implementation of innovative Water interventions by de-risking to ease market entry to Aqua Clara Kenya for provision of safe water solutions for households in Isiolo County, reaching 50 households with water filters and training 16 market agents (12F,4M) to scale safe drinking water access.

Output 1.3: Integrated Water Resource Management and 3R practices improved.

• Supported WRUAs in review and finalization of sub-catchment management plans (SCMPs) in Wajir (Griftu and Ewasohabaswein WRUAs), Isiolo (Waso Mara and Likiundu WRUAs), Marsabit (Dabel WRUA), and Turkana (Kakuma and Tarach WRUAs), Garissa (Dertu WRUA)
• RAPID+ organized a learning event for dissemination of the IWRM database developed during the 3R activities by Acacia Water.

Output 1.4 Increased household livelihood diversification as a result of MUS technologies.

• In Turkana, 43 households at Nasuroi Model Farm benefitted from water-efficient multi-use systems for high-value crop production. In Wajir, seven farmers engaged in fodder and crop farming at Markoror and Bangal farms benefited from RAPID+ interventions that introduced improved agricultural practices. In Garissa, a group of 20 farmers at Ubah farm (12 women and 8 men) transitioned to a water-efficient irrigation technologies comprising uPVC pipeline closed-channel irrigation system and are now producing a variety of crops, including mangoes, bananas, oranges, and coriander, which they supply to local markets in Garissa.
• Promoted private sector engagement through Pay-as-You-Go solar irrigation solutions, benefiting 12 (8M, 4F) farmers.

Purpose of the Assignment

The Activity will support FCDC counties to review the Water Acts/ Policies and propose measures to review them to include Climate Adaptation and Mitigation measures thus laying a framework for climate resilience and sustainability of water services.

MWA is therefore seeking the services of a competent Consultant/subject matter expert in Climate Policy/Adaptation and Mitigation in ASALs to support the policy review and development of a policy brief as per the outcomes, objectives and scope of work below.

Assignment Outcome

This assignment will achieve the following result:

• Counties have policy-brief to inform revision of water policies/ acts to include climate adaptation and mitigation considerations.

Scope of Work

The consultant shall be required to undertake the following tasks:

1. Conduct a thorough desk review of existing national and county government water policies/ Acts, climate policies/ Acts and current state-of-the art research on climate adaptation and mitigation in water services
2. Effectively engage with key stakeholders including but not limited to national and county government ministries of water and environment, water services providers, water management committees (WMCs), WASREB, NDMA, NGO actors and academic institutions
3. Develop a 10–12-page policy brief clearly setting out the state of current water policies/ Acts and highlighting the gaps that need addressing. Provide strategic guidance and direction to revision of county water policies/ Acts to address climate adaptation and mitigation requirements while aligning with national/ county climate policy direction. This will include providing guidance on innovative approaches and actionable strategies that can be adopted to address the specific challenges faced in the management of water services
4. The consultant will facilitate a brief online session report (1- 1.5 hours) highlighting key insights, recommendations and actionable next steps identified in the policy brief

Deliverables and Timelines

The expected deliverable and anticipated timelines for each are shown below:

Anticipated Level of Effort (LoE)

The anticipated level of effort for this assignment is 12 man-days.

1. The LoE above should serve as a guide on the level of complexity expected of the assignment.

Duration of Assignment

The duration of the consultancy is July – September 2025.

Tentative starting date: Late July 2025

Consultant’s Qualifications

Below are the preferred qualifications for the consultants applying for the consultancy:

• Undergraduate Training in Law/ Public Policy/ Environmental Policy
• Advanced University Degree in Environmental Law/ Policy, Water Resources Management, Climate Change or related.
• 8+ years of experience of experience in application of climate adaptation and resilient water management to policy
• Demonstrated experience in supporting county policy in the sectors on natural resources management, water and climate
• Demonstrated thought-leadership on current state-of-the-art in Kenyan and regional water sector policies through policy/ legal practice and relevant publications
• Demonstrated experience in drafting of county policies/ laws
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Experience working in the ASALs of Kenya

Reporting and Communication 

Internal: The consultant will be reporting to the RAPID+ Water Intervention Manager while maintaining a close working relationship with the Program Hub. The consultant will be expected to communicate regularly with the RAPID+ Program Hub and the County Coordination Units (CCUs) during the exercise.

External: The consultant may need to consult other stakeholders, including staff from the National and County Government Water Departments, WASREB.

Consultants must adhere to the MWA Code of Conduct and Protection from Sexual Exploitation Abuse and Child Abuse (PSEA-CA) policies as well as research ethics consideration when performing their duties and interactions with external parties.

Information and Support to be provided by the Client

The client shall provide access to any relevant program documents.

Submission

This call for proposals is only open to individual consultants.

Budget

All costs inclusive of taxes should be included in the quoted budget outline by the consultant. This shall Include an itemized budget indicating professional fees, related expenses and taxes.

Application Process

Interested individuals are expected to submit technical and financial proposals in English, including the following:

• Short cover letter stating interest and availability-1 page.
• Profile of consultant, a clear demonstration of previous experience in conducting similar assignments (1-2 pages)
• Methodological approach outlining the consultant’s understanding of the specific objectives and proposed methodology (1 page)
• Proposed activity schedule/ work plan with timelines (0.5 page)
• Financial proposals including consultant fees and any logistical costs (0.5 page
• Professional CVs of consultants – No more than 4 pages.
• Contact details of 3 previous clients/organizations (including a contact person) that have contracted the consultant to carry out similar work
• Copy of PIN certificate; Identity Card/Passport; Valid Tax compliance certificate.

The interested individuals should submit their applications in PDF format and clearly labeled by 25th July 2025. All applications should be submitted electronically to the following email address: mwakinfo@mwawater.org

The email subject should be clearly titled “Consultancy to Support Water Policy Review – Climate ”

For a copy of the ToR, please click here.