ICTJ Kenya - Program Final Evaluation

ICTJ KENYA - PROGRAM FINAL EVALUATIONThe International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) requests a consultant to evaluate its project in Kenya, entitled: Promoting the Realization of Truth, Justice, Reforms and Reparations in Kenya. This project, funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, covers the period 2012 to 2014. The evaluation will be undertaken by an external and independent consultant, with work to be undertaken from January 15, 2015, and the final report to be delivered by April 10, 2015.ICTJ assists societies confronting massive human rights abuses to promote accountability, pursue truth, provide reparations, and build trustworthy institutions. Committed to the vindication of victims’ rights and the promotion of gender justice, we provide expert technical advice, policy analysis, and comparative research on transitional justice approaches, including criminal prosecutions, reparations initiatives, truth seeking and memory, and institutional reform.To fulfill that mission, ICTJ links experience from its many field programs with its research in transitional justice. This allows ICTJ to develop, test and refine field practices and remain a research leader. ICTJ uses this knowledge to inform and advise governments, civil society and other stakeholders working on behalf of victims. It seeks to persuade those stakeholders, the media and the general public of the need for justice and accountability.ICTJ works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in other societies where legacies of abuse remain unresolved.The Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation (KNDR) process was established by the African Union Panel of Eminent Personalities, led by H.E. Kofi Annan, to broker peace talks following the 2007 post-election violence. KNDR agreed on an annotated agenda for the achievement of sustainable peace, stability and justice in Kenya through the rule of law and respect for human rights, as set out in four main agendas. The dialogue resulted in an agreement between President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga that led to the establishment of the Grand Coalition Government on February 28, 2008. This paved the way for the enactment of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act; agreement on the General Principles and Parameters for the establishment of an Independent Electoral Review Commission (IREC), Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Elections Violence (CIPEV) and Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC); a roadmap for a comprehensive Constitutional review process; and adoption of an implementation framework to address key underlying causes of the election-related violence (as set out in Agenda IV). Taken together, the post-election violence (PEV) crisis and resulting commitments to comprehensive reforms provided a historic opportunity to end the cycle of impunity in Kenya by ensuring accountability for historical injustices and crimes committed during the PEV, and providing justice for victims.In early 2012, ICTJ signed a grant with the Royal Netherlands Embassy to support its Kenya Program, covering the period February 2012 to December 2014. This grant was a continuation of a previous three year grant (2009-2011). The overall aim of the ICTJ programming is to contribute to making Kenya a more just, democratic, and inclusive society. Towards that end, this second three-year project built upon past achievements and lessons learned to pursue the following specific objectives:Provide support for key stakeholders to participate in accountability, justice and reform processesSupport victim-centered truth-seeking processesSupport credible and effective domestic measures to pursue criminal accountability and justice for the post-election violenceFoster the adoption of measures towards realization of victims’ right to reparations.The project promotes reforms to guarantee non-recurrence of similar abuses. ICTJ is implementing this project through various approaches, including:Providing technical assistanceUndertaking research and analysisPursuing national, regional and international advocacyBuilding capacity of civil society organizationsDeveloping and supporting transitional justice networks.IV.Objectives of the Final EvaluationThe objectives of the final evaluation are:To evaluate the performance of the project, including its relevance, effectiveness, coordination and coherence, efficiency and impact, with a strong focus on assessing the results at the outcome level.To provide recommendations to improve future planning, including advising on necessary adjustments to the programmatic agenda.The principal recipients of the evaluation report will be:ICTJ project team in KenyaThe donor (Royal Netherlands Embassy)ICTJ program directors, based in New York.The evaluation will examine ICTJ's program in Kenya from January 2012 to December 2014.The external consultant will work with ICTJ staff from the country office and from the headquarters in New York. These ICTJ staff will provide inputs on the analysis of technical aspects of the program work and contribute to the collection and review of transitional justice context information. The external consultant will lead the evaluation team.The evaluation team is expected to use the evaluative criteria below and address the key evaluation questions:„ Evaluation Criteria and key evaluation questionsThe consultant is expected to address the key evaluation questions below.· Were ICTJ’s program goals, objectives and strategy relevant to the transitional justice context in Kenya?· To what extent were the program strategy and the set of activities relevant for supporting truth-seeking processes, reforming the security sector and developing reparative justice policies in Kenya?· Did the program meet the needs of target groups, including victims groups?· How could its program content and approach be improved to better meet their needs?· How well did the program approach adjust to the changing context?· Provide recommendations on how to improve the relevance of the Program.· To what extent did the project achieve the outcomes it planned to achieve? To what extent did the project contribute to the achievement of its ultimate goal?· What major factors contributed to the achievement, or not, of its objectives (include the factors of success and the challenges)?· What unintended results (both positive and negative) did the project bring about?· How useful and relevant was the support provided by ICTJ, as perceived by victims groups, civil society organizations, key transitional justice institutions (such as the TJRC) and participating policymakers?· How has the knowledge and capacity provided (through trainings and technical guidance) to TJ institutions and participating policymakers been used in their work? What have been the results of the use of that acquired knowledge?· To what extent has the project improved the strategy of victims groups and civil society organizations towards engaging with policymakers and transitional justice officials, and increased their ability to monitor transitional justice processes?· How did civil society organizations use newly acquired capacities in their work and in their interactions with transitional justice officials and policymakers?· Provide recommendations on how to improve effectiveness.· How effective was the coordination with other key partners in the transitional justice field? How well did the project ensure cohesiveness in the work of the implementing partners?Did efforts at coordination result in more coherent work in the field?· Provide recommendations on how to improve coordination and coherence.Did the program contribute to policy change or reform of political institutions or mechanisms that deal with:Police reformsInvestigations and prosecutions of post-election violenceImplementation of the TJRC ReportReparative justice?Did civil society organizations strategically engage with transitional justice processes, and what were the outcomes of such engagement?To what extent were any successes experienced in the field attributable to the program?Provide recommendations on how to improve impact.· How efficient and timely was the implementation of this project, and was it managed in accordance with the project design?Provide recommendations on how to improve efficiency.As the evaluation team addresses those questions, the lead consultant must comply with the following requirements:· Once the methods to be used for the evaluation are discussed and agreed upon with the ICTJ team, the consultant is expected to revise the technical offer or produce a document describing the methods and protocols· The technical offer will provide a work schedule and establish the number of days worked. If some requirements or objectives of the evaluation cannot be met, the consultant should briefly justify his or her decision in the technical offer· Complete the evaluation framework template (to be provided by ICTJ)· The instruments used for data collection must be reviewed by the ICTJ team and the DM&E specialist and approved before the data collection commences.The consultant will be required to conduct a workshop/online conference call to present the preliminary results of the evaluation to staff, and possibly other stakeholders. The consultant will incorporate this feedback into the draft report.The evaluator will suggest the appropriate evaluation design and methodologies for this final evaluation, which will be discussed with the project team in Kenya and the ICTJ Senior Associate, Design, Monitoring and Evaluation. The evaluation should at least include the following components:· Desk review: all project documents (project proposals, progress and monitoring reports, correspondence with the donor, etc.)· Methods used to measure key indicators· Semi-structured interviews with policymakers who took part in the project· Key informant interviews with ICTJ staff, key stakeholders and experts in TJ (not involved in the implementation of the project)· Key informant interviews with ICTJ staff and key partners and stakeholdersNo field visits outside Nairobi will be required.The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the OECD-DAC Evaluation Quality Standards (seehttp://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/55/44798177.pdf). Moreover, if required, ICTJ reserves the right to carry out quality control activities during the fieldwork to ensure that the data is being properly collected.· Evaluation Framework (template to be provided by ICTJ)· Technical offer or a document describing the methodology in detail· Questionnaires, discussion guides and other data collection tools.· Electronic data files, if relevant· A final evaluation report. The final report shall include the following sections:o Executive summary. This should include: a paragraph describing the program; a paragraph summarizing the methodological approaches used; key findings, including a summary of targets and intended outcomes; a conclusion of the program relevance and its contribution towards the final goal.o Table of program indicators measured, if relevant.o Methodology. This section should describe each method used and the target groups involved. Regarding quantitative methodologies, the section must describe the sampling strategy, the type of analysis carried out and the statistical parameters so that the reader is able to establish the rigor of the data collected. Methodological constraints, challenges and limitations should be also discussed in this section.o Findings and analysis, addressing evaluation questions.§ The findings can be presented under evaluation criteria or by domains of impact. IMPORTANT: as much as possible, the findings must be supported by evidence. Relevant project indicators must be used in the analysis under this section. When evidence relies on perception or feedback of stakeholders interviewed during the evaluation, the consultant must illustrate key findings with selected quotes.§ In addition, the evaluator should provide ICTJ with another written brief which will provide the ICTJ with a means of capturing the important experiences and lessons learned on the assignment.o Annexes. These should include the template of data collection tools; terms of reference; evaluation schedule; list of people met (by group); and list of documents reviewed.The final report should not exceed 50 pages (without annexes). All written deliverables should be completed in English.This study will begin with preparation work commencing January 15, 2015. The final report is to be submitted by April 10, 2015.The fieldwork within Nairobi is anticipated to take place during the period of February 1 to 15, 2015.The draft report will be submitted by March 1, 2015. Provided that feedback from ICTJ is given to the evaluator by March 15, 2015, the final report shall be delivered by April 10, 2015.· Relevant academic background (Masters or Ph.D)· Experience in undertaking evaluations of human rights programs in post-conflict contexts· Knowledge of transitional justice· A working knowledge of international NGOs· Excellent written and communications skills (in English)· Knowledge and previous experience of the Kenyan contextX.Logistics For the EvaluationICTJ will provide support to address some logistical needs required for the collection of data, as needed. Program staff will also provide additional information that the consultant may require from time to time.
Interested candidates shall send, to the contact person below, by December 31, 2014:· An excerpt or complete evaluation report previously undertaken by the candidate· Referees with contact details· Any other relevant information showing suitability of the consultant for the assignment.