Assessing the Effectiveness of the Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies in Kenya Vision 2030’s Second Medium Term Plan 2013-2017

The study assessed the effectiveness of the implementation of poverty reduction strategies in Kenya Vision 2030% Second Medium Term Plan for the period 2013-2017. According to the World Poverty Clock—a tool used to monitor the global fight against extreme poverty, in 2018 Kenya was ranked eighth globally and sixth in Africa among countries with the largest number of people living in abject poverty. The 2018 World Poverty Clock Report stated that the poor had increased from 11 million in 2017 to approximately 14.7 million Kenyans; or 29% of an estimated population of 49.7 million. Furthermore, the World Bank warned that at the current pace of poverty reduction (about 1% point per year) Kenya will not eradicate poverty by 2030. Thus, the objectives of the study were: to investigate the role of the actors in the implementation process; to examine the challenges faced in the implementation process; and to explore the measures taken to mitigate those challenges. The study was qualitative in nature. It was grounded on the Marxist Theory and the Neoliberal Ideology in order to understand the causes of poverty in Kenya. The research design employed was phenomenology because it enabled the researcher to understand the phenomenon in question: poverty reduction in Kenya. The researcher collected data through reviewing secondary sources of data such as government reports from ministries, commissions, county governments—and the Kenya Vision 2030 delivery secretariat. The data analysis technique used was content analysis because it allowed closeness to data; and provided evaluative evidence. The study was conducted within six months; and observed ethical considerations such as maintenance of objectivity in discussions and analyses in order to minimize the possibility of drawing false conclusions from reported findings. The study established that the key actors in the implementation process were: the national treasury; county governments; ministries; and the Kenya Vision 2030 delivery secretariat. The main challenges in the implementation process were: insufficient funds; delays in disbursement of funds from the national treasury; insufficient skilled labor and insecurity. Some measures taken to mitigate the challenges included: encouraging county governments to mobilize their own financial resources; binding capacity building programs; and recruiting and deploying more police officers to address insecurity. The researcher recommends that the national government should aim to: strengthen its institutional capacity and frameworks to implement poverty reduction strategies; make institutions more inclusive and accountable; strengthen its relationship with development partners in order to benefit from available grants; and invest more funds in the security sector since peace is a prerequisite for development to happen.