Critical Analysis of Community Designed Development Strategy on poverty reduction in Kenya: Case of NGOs participation in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya has a critical challenge of reviving economic growth to enable improved standards of living of her people. The nation’s economic objective of growth, poverty reduction and improved access to essential services has not changed significantly since independence. Several efforts by the stakeholders including the national government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international donors have shown limited success in reducing poverty in Kenya. As a result, poverty is still persistent in most households, both in rural areas and urban slums. The persistence of poverty in the country can be in part attributed to the top-down approach to development adopted by various poverty alleviation programs. As a result of this, community development strategies have not been effectively implemented in the country. There is rhetoric on poverty reduction and inclusion of the marginalized groups. However, poverty reduction requires measures that empower people to improve their capabilities and take ownership of poverty project. Experience indicates that the dimensions of community-driven development (CDD) strategy of empowering communities are not fully addressed in the country's poverty reduction programs, despite the fact that a community-driven approach to development and poverty reduction has the potential of lifting rural populations out of the poverty trap. This paper focuses on community development strategies and initiatives adopted by the NGOs to tackle poverty in Kenya. The study found to that the local communities in Kenya are not empowered enough to take full ownership of their projects for sustainable development.

Key words: NGO, Community Designed Development strategy, poverty reduction