The dynamics of the world that we live in require that organisations be able to partner with other organisations that compliment it therefore enabling it reach higher heights. Professional excellence and resilience can only be attained through the organisation’s ability to share expertise while at the same time enhance its networking capability.
In the projects management unit we strive to ensure that the above dynamics enable us meet our overall objective, ‘promoting sustainable wealth creation’ hence enhancing the overalls organisations capability.
Background
The projects management unit started in 1998, with the first project being Microfinance Capacity Building Programme for Africa, AFCAP. AFCAP’s aim was to enhance the capacity of micro-finance institutions in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa to deliver financial services to poor clients on a sustainable and replicable basis. Its purpose was to increase the capacity of the local private sector (individuals and private organizations) to deliver appropriate high quality products and services to the micro-finance sector. AFCAP successfully completed its mandate and was wound up in 2003. AFCAP’s principal donors were the British Department for International Development, DFID, and the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, CGAP. The 3 year project budget for AFCAP was 2.75 US million dollars.
Operation
The Projects Management Unit operations consist of the provision of a fully integrated set of administrative and financial management services to donor-financed projects. KGT provides a legal umbrella for these projects and runs them as part its own. We at KGT enter into legal contracts, e.g. leases on the behalf of the project and take up all associated legal liabilities. We also contract staff for the project as well as take up registration for them with all necessary statutory bodies, including application for work permits and payroll processing.
Project Management Unit Services
In the area of financial management and administration, the Unit undertakes the following:
Financial Management
We open separate bank accounts for the entities we manage and run them as mandated by the donors.
Financial Reporting
We prepare financial reports to the donors on a quarterly basis and on a fund requirement basis this enables the initiation of the fund disbursement process from the donors.
Auditing
We contract external auditors to audit the managed entities annually. In addition, we provide an internal audit function to ensure that the managed entities’ operations are carried out in compliance with internationally accepted financial reporting standards.
Procurement
We undertake the entire process of procuring for goods and services using donor specific procurement procedures. Click here to return to top.
Staffing
We, in collaboration with specific donors undertake the recruitment of project staff. The project staff are treated as part of KGT’s staff and their terms of employment are agreed upon with donor organizations. Where expatriate staff are employed, we facilitate the process of getting the necessary work permits.
Program Oversight
Overall oversight of managed entities is provided by a Project Management Committee (PMC) with a membership that includes the KGT and representatives of donors as well as the Chief Technical Managers of the managed entities. These Committees meets quarterly to review the performance of the managed entities and approve implementation plans.
Project Management Unit Portfolio
Due to the success of the AFCAP Programme, and the synergies that were obtained from working together with AFCAP, the second phase of the MicroSave Programme which was based in Uganda was also brought under KGT’s umbrella and ran concurrently with the AFCAP Programme in Nairobi. In 2004, MicroSave started on its third phase that ran up to the end of 2007 at a budget of 6 million US dollars. MicroSave’s work is focused in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa and was funded through DFID, CGAP, NORAD, Ford Foundation and the Austrian Development Corporation.
MicroSave, (Funded by the British Department For International Development (DFID), the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest division of the World Bank (CGAP), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation(NORAD), Ford Foundation and the Austrian Regional Bureau). This project has been managed by KGT since December 2000 to its close in December 2007.
Our current projects.
Rural Finance Knowledge Management Partnership – Funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
This is a programme whose main objective is to improve the delivery, outreach, appropriateness and sustainability of financial services for the poor people in the rural areas and also to strengthen the policy and regulatory frame work for the rural financial service delivery.
Its core activities include capacity building support for rural finance practitioners, Knowledge management, Joint action research and promotion of rural finance policy dialogue.
Decentralised Financial Services (DFS) Funded by FSD Trust Grant
The Decentralised Financial Services Project funded by FSD Trust (Kenya) main objective is to strengthen savings and credit groups and the organisations that support them through developing easy–to-use tools and delivery techniques to strengthen their operations, management and governance. Click here to return to top.
Centre for International Development Research CIDR
The Centre for International Development and Research (CIDR) main objective is to promote the social and economic development of the rural populations in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia by setting up or supporting microfinance systems adapted to their needs and capacities.
CIDR has set up a Development of Participatory Microfinance in East Africa Project (DPMP) funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other private donors. The global objective of the program is to promote in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania the social and economic development of the rural populations of the areas of implementation by setting up or supporting microfinance systems adapted to their needs and capacities. The specific objective is to contribute to the development of the microfinance in East Africa through the introduction of participatory methodologies in the setting up and the reinforcement of viable Microfinance Institutions in the rural parts of the countries not yet covered. This goal will be reached by systematically searching cooperation with microfinance practitioners or existing MFI, and promoting exchanges with the West Africa MFIs.
Ethical Tea Partnership
Ethical Tea Partnership Project is a non-competitive English incorporated association of tea packaging companies working to monitor conditions of tea production around the world and to encourage improvements where needed. Our role in the project is to oversee its operations in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Tree Biotechnology Project
The first two phases of the Tree Biotechnology Project were funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (UK) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources’ Forest Department, Mondi Forests of South Africa and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). Based at Karura forest, the project’s objective is clonal propagation. The project has now been transformed and registered as a Trust funded by Kilimo Trust. The Trust is working in partnership with KEFRI, ISAAA and K-Rep on implementation.
