NCG has recently been assigned to provide Inception Support for new Danida Funding to Water and Livelihoods Programme in Refugees, Host and Other Vulnerable Communities of Kenya – Support to Water Sector Trust Fund (WSTF).

The WSTF is the national institution mandated, in collaboration with Counties, to provide water and sanitation services and promote water resources management to underserved poor areas of Kenya. WSTF is currently operating through four main financial and operational mechanisms supported by resources from the Government and other donors: Rural Investment, Urban Investment, Water Resources Investment and Results Based Aid. Denmark has since 2011 supported WSTF to provide water in the Arid and Semi-arid Areas Lands (ASAL) under the Natural Resource Resources Management Programme – Medium Term ASAL Programme (NRMP-MTAP).

The objective for the assignment is to support WSTF to:

• Develop a revised WSTF Development Engagement Document incorporating additional interventions seeking to integrate the humanitarian and development assistance to refugee camps and host communities in Turkana West and other selected counties.
• Establish a grant framework to assist WSTF in identifying potential partners for the implementation of the integrated humanitarian and development activities in refugee hos communities and other selected ASAL countries in the area of the water services, sanitation and water resources.
• Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of the Danish support to pro-poor access to, management of and development of water resources, services and sanitation in the ASAL areas of Kenya.

The support of the NCG team of four experts with NCG Associate Partner Steffen Johnsen as team leader includes both home-based assistance and field missions to Kenya.