WWF Mara River Basin Management Initiative, Kenya and Tanzania, phase III – final evaluation report (dated January 2013)

Background:
The scarce water resources of the transboundary Mara River Basin (13,750 km2), in Kenya and Tanzania are essential to more than one million people, multiple water uses and the world-famous Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem and its economically very important tourism industry. These water resources are under threat due to increasing competition for water, pollution, environmental degradation and climate change. Improved management of the water resources is essential. Tanzania and Kenya have undergone water sector reforms and changed policy, legislation and institutions in order to implement the new approach of integrated water resource management (IWRM). WWF and partners implemented the Mara River Basin Management Initiative (MRBMI) to pilot the water sector reforms’ IWRM approach and to address threats and opportunities to the water resources.
The main purpose of the evaluation was to provide WWF and stakeholders with an independent assessment of the project achievements and to guide WWF in the design of similar future projects. The evaluation focussed on phase III of the MRBMI.

Purpose/objective:
The long-term goal of the Project (phase III, Jan. 2010 – Dec.2012) was “improved quality and reliable quantity of water in the Mara River Basin for sustainable ecosystem functions and basic human needs”. The project purpose was “enhanced integrated water resources management (IWRM) policies and practices in the Mara River Basin by the end of 2012”. Phase III focused on strengthening capacities of established water resources management institutions in order to ensure their sustainability as well as documenting lessons from activities since the MRBMI began in 2003. There were four main outputs, on strengthening capacity (output 1), documenting and disseminating results and lessons (output 2), IWRM advocacy and lobbying (output 3) and sustainability, coordination and partnerships (output 4).

Methodology:
The evaluation was conducted in November and December 201, project documents, relevant policies and academic papers were reviewed. Interviews and discussions were held with key stakeholder representatives in Kenya and Tanzania (local & central governments, community & private company representatives, etc.) and WWF staff. Focus group discussions, informal conversations, questionnaires, field visits and observations were carried out.

Key findings:
The evaluation concluded positively on performance in relation to the project purpose and the four project outputs. However, achievements were smaller in Tanzania where the project was suspended in for the majority the final year of the Project (2012), due to fraud discovered in another WWF project funded by the Norwegian government. In addition to this the slow progress of the Tanzanian Government’s water sector reform reduced the pace at which the Project could move forward on some critical steps such as full formalisation of local level water resources management (WRM) institutions and their devolved rights, responsibilities and resources. The evaluation concluded that there is a high potential for scaling up and sustaining project efforts in the Basin and elsewhere.

Phase III of the Project enhanced IWRM policies and practices as measured by the indicators at project purpose level, for instance enhanced policy implementation and participation by local level stakeholders. The evaluation concluded that phase III also significantly improved the legal and institutional environments for IWRM processes and implementation in the Mara River Basin as a result of strengthened capacity (output 1).  The capacities of community level representatives and their institutions in WRM (water resource users associations, WRUAs, in Kenya, and water user associations, WUAs, in Tanzania) were greatly improved and good water governance was significantly enhanced.

Phase III produced comprehensive documentation which appraised successes, failures and lessons in piloting IWRM practices across the Basin (output 2). Also, policy briefs were drafted in Kenya and lessons disseminated.

In both countries, good progress was made in strengthening local level WRM institutions and lobbying key government partners to formalize and support such local level institutions (output 3). In Kenya for instance, phase III facilitated the development and signing of the “Instrument of Appointment”, formally devolving rights and resources from the Water Resources Management Authority to the Mara River Water Resource Users’ Association established by the Project. This was a breakthrough and success for devolved IWRM.

The Project strengthened sustainability, coordination and partnerships among IWRM institutions to improve IWRM implementation at local, national and transboundary levels (output 4). The planned local level WRM institutions were established and formalized in line with the water sector reforms. The Project did very well in facilitating the local level institutions to develop sub-catchment management plans and action plans, some of which have already been used to secure funding from government for implementation.

Recommendations:
The evaluation formulated a set of recommendations that lead agencies, namely the Water Resources Management Authority in Kenya and the Lake Victoria Basin Water Office in Tanzania, should take responsibility to follow up. These include: Development of communication materials for up-scaling best practices and lessons learned generated by the Project; institutionalization of a basin-wide approach for effective upstream-downstream interactions among the local level WRM institutions; continued monitoring of water quality and quantity to provide long term data for water allocation and planning as well as monitoring impacts of IWRM; replication of income generating activities to incentivize local level WRM institutions to continue to participate in IWRM processes and sustain activities; promote payment of economic use of water within the policy frameworks, to sustain IWRM actions; and support implementation of trans-boundary water policy to enhance IWRM in the Basin.

Comments from the organisation, if any:
The evaluation findings are mainly in line with WWF-Norway’s views. WWF believes the Project has made very important achievements since its start in 2003, including major increases in awareness and capacity in IWRM and the establishment of more than 80 WRM institutions at local, national and transboundary levels. The IWRM pilot by the Project has become recognised and respected at local, national and transboundary levels by governments and water users. Governments, particularly in Kenya, are using project lessons to inform the continued water sector reform process.

Despite the Project’s successes, it is important to note that decentralisation of management responsibilities and changing control over natural resources and income streams are not straightforward processes. There has been and is likely to remain some resistance among those losing powers. Problems and failures by the local level WRM institutions, which are likely to occur, may contribute to pressures to limit devolvement of responsibilities and resources, potentially even re-centralisation. WWF continues to work in the Basin, at present through non-Norwegian funding, and will provide limited and targeted support that seeks to prevent backlashes in terms of the important empowerment of local level WRM institutions.