The Non-profit Sector in Kenya: What We Know and What We Don't Know

The primary aim of this publication is to set the stage for deepening our knowledge of the non-profit sector in Kenya. It contains figures on the growth, scope of activities, revenue and expenditure patterns of NPOs

Kenyan exports of Nile perch : the impact of food safety standards on an export-oriented supply chain

Over the past decade, exports of fish and fishery products from developing countries have increased rapidly. However, one of the major challenges facing developing countries in seeking to maintain and expand their share of global markets is stricter food safety requirements in industrialized countries. Kenyan exports of Nile perch to the European Union provide a notable example of efforts to comply with such requirements, overlaid with the necessity to overcome restrictions on trade relating to immediate food safety concerns. Although food safety requirements were evolving in their major markets, most notably the European Union, most Kenyan exporters had made little attempts to upgrade their hygiene standards. Likewise, the legislative framework of food safety controls and facilities at landing sites remained largely unchanged. Both exporters and the Kenyan government were forced to take action when a series of restrictions were applied to exports by the European Union over the period 1997 to 2000. Processors responded by upgrading their hygiene controls, although a number of facilities closed, reflecting significant costs of compliance within the context of excess capacity in the sector. Remaining facilities upgraded their hygiene controls and made efforts to diversify their export base away from the European. Legislation and control mechanisms were also enhanced. Hygiene facilities at landing beaches were improved, but remain the major area of weakness. The Kenyan case illustrates the significant impact that stricter food safety requirements can have on export-oriented supply chains. It also demonstrates how such requirements can exacerbate existing pressures for restructuring and reform, while prevailing supply and capacity issues constrain the manner in which the supply chain is able to respond. In Kenya most of the concerted effort to comply with these requirementswas stimulated by the sudden loss of market access in very much a crisis management mode of operation, illustrating the importance of responding to emerging food safety requirements in a proactive and effective manner.Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Coastal and Marine Resources,Fishing Industry,Fisheries&Aquaculture,Environmental Economics&Policies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Coastal and Marine Resources,Fishing Industry,Agribusiness&Markets

Lake Victoria's Nile Perch Fish Cluster: Institutions, Politics and Joint Action

The collective efficiency model contends that joint action is essential for coping with new challenges. This paper discusses how enterprises in the Lake Victoria fish cluster operate, interact and address common challenges facing the industry. It suggests that the lack of effective institutions and the existing power relations explain the inability of the cluster to respond effectively to recent crises. Both the Co-operative Society and the Fisheries Department are weak, whereas the existing welfare based associations merely exploit social capital in sub-ethnic groups. These groupings have not transcended welfare concerns into the economic realm, and their potential for taking strategic joint action is limited. The cluster’s strongest joint action has been vertical, between one successful trader and one Industrial Fish Processor (IFP). This action saved the cluster from imminent collapse, but it did not result in the creation of institutions or organisations capable of dealing with other problems. The results uphold the collective efficiency model in the sense that they underscore the need for joint action in the face of new challenges. The findings also call for extension of the model to consider more explicitly the institutional framework that appears necessary for effective joint action to take place

State policy and urban housing in Kenya: the case of low income housing in Nairobi

Those interested in urban development recognise that building "low income" housing need not benefit poor or low income groups. Kenya, like many other developing countries often fails to attain the goals and objectives of housing policies and plans geared for low income groups, this is reflected in the mismatch of available housing forms. A substantial percentage of urban residents occupy units that in terms of policy and planning are intended for other groups. Of particular concern are the very poor who often must live in informal areas because middle income groups occupy housing units planned for them. Several factors contribute to policy failure or success. This proposal contends four major factors determines the failure of stated objectives of housing the urban poor: shortcomings of housing policy at both central and local government levels; the ineffectiveness of the institutions charged with the implementation of policies; the limited role of the private sector; and administrative and financial limitations. The proposal raises questions regarding housing policy in Kenya which can be summarised as follows:- -: What is housing policy? -: How is housing policy best established? -: What are the institutional obstacles towards achieving stated policy goals? -: What are the socio-economic and political implications of internal and external financing. The paper describes research in process that will evaluate achievement of policy objectives for Umoja 1, a low income tenant purchase housing scheme in Nairobi. Selected institutions that participated in its implementation as well and other institutions handling low income housing will also be examined