Advocacy

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Call for consultancy: Developing a policy brief on civil society engagement in food systems transformation in Kenya.
Link to the detailed information for the call.
Kindly submit your proposal to info@ruraloutreachafrica.org and knjeri2003@gmail.com with the subject line RTF Coalition Kenya Policy Brief, latest by 4:00 pm, 10th August 2023.
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Project Description

Strengthening Rural Governance for the Right to Adequate Food

Rural Outreach Africa (ROA), in partnership with Welthungerhilfe (WHH), is implementing a project; “Strengthening Rural Governance for the Right to Adequate Food” in Vihiga County of Kenya.

The multi-country initiative funded by BMZ through Welthungerhilfe is aimed to ensure that vulnerable food and nutrition insecure groups (rightsholders) enjoy improved availability and access to adequate food, using a rights-based approach. The project is in Kenya, Malawi, Burkina Faso and India, including work at the African Union to advance an African Food Policy. From April 2020 to June 2024, ROA is implementing the project in Vihiga County and coordinating advocacy for right to food legislation at the national level.

The right to adequate food is realized when every man, woman and child, alone or in community with others has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement. The right to food is clearly defined in international law which Kenya has ratified, and it is a constitutional right in Kenya enshrined in Art. 43 1c of the 2010 Constitution.

The human rights-based approach for this project is about empowering people to know and claim their rights. Rightsholders are able to know their rights and entitlements, identify key issues regarding right to food, engage in multi-stakeholder dialogues, and hold duty bearers to account. On the other hand, administrative, political, and traditional duty bearers are engaged to deliver better on the right to adequate food, guided by the principles of participa¬tion, transparency and accountability, non-dis¬crimination, and rule of law.

The project is building awareness of rightsholders and duty bearers alike on what The Right to Adequate Food is through workshops, focus groups, awareness campaigns, and sensitization meetings, looking at the five dimensions of right to food: Availability, Accessibility, Stability, Sustainability and Adequacy.

The success of this project will hopefully offer lessons that other counties in Kenya can build on as they decide to embark on similar work. One of the major outcomes of the project is a happy and responsible citizenry, who can readily contribute to the building of their country.

Some achievements so far:

 
 
1. Sensitization of community members in Vihiga on their right to food and programs that help them achieve their right to food

 
2. Engagement with dutybearers at all levels to advocate for improved service delivery for the right to food

 
3. Convening two independent Food Systems Dialogues in Vihiga County and one national dialogue

 
4. Developing an advocacy strategy bringing on board various CSOs working in the food rights space

 
5. Initiating and convening the national Right to Food Coalition and the Lake Region Food Systems Network (LRFSN) to advocate for the right to food at various levels

   
6. Developing, lobbying, and launching the Food Manifesto, in the run-up to the 2022 elections in collaboration with the Right to Food Coalition

7. Mobilizing community members for public participation for the County Integrated Development Plans