By Gladys Juma and Gertrude Mbogo

A 2018 World Bank publication, "Community Primer," emphasizes that successful community implementation requires sustained communication with government agencies. It states: "The more discussions you have, the greater the levels of self-disclosure, the stronger the relationships, and the higher the volume of information sharing critical in ensuring community involvement in all key matters."

In the Second Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Project (KISIP2), the State and development partners prioritize forming the Community Settlement Executive Committee (SEC) and Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) before project works begin. The SEC mobilizes stakeholders and facilitates community participation in decision-making, planning, and implementation to foster ownership of slum upgrading initiatives.

The SEC comprises up to 19 members representing key interests: structure owners (4), tenants (2), youth (2), widows (1), physically challenged (1), faith-based organizations (Christian 1, Muslim 1), community-based organizations (1), non-governmental organizations (1), and marginalized groups (1). Ex-officio members include the area Member of County Assembly, Area Chief, Ward representative, and Member of Parliament representative. Gender equality is mandated in selections and leadership to promote unity among slum dwellers and stakeholders, aligning with World Bank requirements.

As per KISIP’s Project Operating Manual (POM), SECs handle community mobilization, sensitization, and awareness on the project. They assist in identifying and prioritizing interventions from the KISIP2 menu, link stakeholders with the County Project Coordination Team (CPCT), National Project Coordination Team (NPCT), and consultants, and serve as project spokespersons and champions. SECs contribute to decision-making throughout the project lifecycle, ensure sustainability of investments, provide inputs to action agendas, offer feedback, and engage in beneficiary verification and Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) for Project Affected Persons (PAPs).

Roles of Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs)

In KISIP2, GRCs form the core of the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) at the community level, addressing disputes from beneficiaries, stakeholders, or affected parties.

Key responsibilities include:

• Receiving and recording complaints.
• Assessing and investigating grievances to identify root causes.
• Mediating and resolving issues locally for fair, timely outcomes.
• Referring complex cases to CPCT or NPCT via tools like the Electronic Grievance Redress Mechanism (e-GRM).
• Documenting and monitoring all issues for accountability.

GRC members receive orientation from NPCT and CPCT. Unresolved grievances can escalate to courts.

GRCs have five members: three elected from the community and two from the SEC (of opposite genders). At least one elected member must be a woman. Ex-officio members: MCA, Area Chief, Ward Administrator, and MP. Elections are democratic (e.g., show of hands, queue voting, secret ballot), guided by the County KISIP Coordinator with NPCT support, adhering to the one-third gender rule.

Eligibility requires: age 18+, settlement residency or property ownership, sound mind, no criminal record, respected fairness, community leadership experience, and no political affiliations. Officials (Chairperson, Secretary) are elected from members, excluding SEC reps; Secretary needs language and tech proficiency.

Members can be replaced for resignation, misconduct (e.g., bribes), death, incapacity, rule violations, relocation, project closure, or no-confidence votes.

Gladys, a Sociologist, heads the Community Development and Gender Inclusion Sub- Component while Gertrude is a Senior Administrative Secretary at the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and attached to KISIP2