Working to strengthen an indigenous land rights organization in northern Kenya
By Akshay Vishwanath, Manager - East Africa Portfolio
In Maliasili, one of the partners I work with is IMPACT, an organization established by indigenous people in Kenya to address the underlying causes of marginalization and poverty which undermine Indigenous Peoples’ socio-cultural rights, access to livelihood opportunities, and rights to a healthy environment. IMPACT is at the forefront of highlighting the critical role that indigenous and local people play in protecting nature, the environment, and building resilience to climate change in northern Kenya.
The team at IMPACT is passionate and driven, using their shared experience of marginalization, expertise in indigenous peoples issues, and powerful voice to pioneer and advance advocacy efforts on behalf of the communities they come from. The team is led by Mali ole Kaunga, the founder and director of IMPACT. Kaunga has a track record of pioneering strategic litigation for indigenous peoples, and a wealth of expertise in building coalitions, raising the voice of indigenous peoples in national and international policy dialogue and promoting indigenous knowledge. Supporting him is Elizabeth Silakan, representing the next generation of pastoral women leaders. Elizabeth comes from a pastoral background and, aware of the diverse challenges that the community faces, is keen to see that the communities’ priorities within IMPACT programs create positive change by promoting project efficiency.
IMPACT is now at a critical juncture as an institution. A leadership transition is planned for the near future, and at the same time, IMPACT has to maintain its agility to meet the ever-evolving needs of indigenous people in northern Kenya. As such, the organization needs a clear strategic plan to guide its work into the future which would then inform the leadership transition process. As the commonly used phrase goes, “form follows function”, helping IMPACT understand what they want to do will help them figure out how they will go about doing it.
A great organization is always a product of great strategy
The IMPACT team (with founder Mali ole Kaunga at the center) at the recent strategic planning meeting.
A strong purpose, a clear focus on what needs to be done, and an effective approach on how to achieve change is essential. This is what a great strategy process brings - clarity. During our sessions so far, we’ve helped Kaunga and his team to come up with their vision and mission, and their Theory of Change. Simply put, how their actions will create the change they want to see. When going over what they had come up with so far, one of the participants remarked “IMPACT prides itself on the work it does on Indigenous People’s Rights, but I don’t see that mentioned anywhere! Have we gone wrong?!”.
It was easy to see why there was a moment of confusion and panic. Too many organizations focus on what they do and not why they do it. So, with IMPACT, we went back to basics and asked “Why does IMPACT exist?” Eventually, the IMPACT team broke down “Indigenous People’s Rights” into the components that mattered. These are securing community land; influencing policy formulation, reform, and implementation; strengthening community natural resource management institutions; knowledge documentation, generation and learning; and supporting collaboration in shared landscapes.
How did IMPACT figure out what mattered and what they should focus on?
They identified in specific terms what problem they are trying to solve, understood what they are uniquely placed to do, and linked it to the greater context in which indigenous people in Kenya operate (back to my fundamental principles!). So “Indigenous People’s Rights” is no longer the abstract term that could mean anything under the sun in terms of their work. It is now understood as tangible result areas they can work on and seek to progress Indigenous People’s standing in Kenya. This, for me, is the essence of great strategy.
Arriving at a great strategy is not easy, but it's absolutely vital to the organization’s mission. It requires the organization to make critical decisions about what they should focus on, and what they need to let go of. This doesn’t mean that the core values and legacy of the organization should be forgotten. It also doesn't mean the organization can dismiss the urgent and critical needs of its stakeholders. If anything, a great strategy allows the organization to really focus on what it's good at and deliver success in a way that will make a difference for countless people and for the environment they live in and depend upon. Seeing what IMPACT has achieved with its strategic planning so far, I am convinced that similar organizations that work in the rights and advocacy space can learn a lot and in turn become stronger organizations themselves.
Mali ole Kaunga gave this feedback on the strategic planning process:
”What I like about the Maliasili strategic planning process is that in the planning process the facilitation design brings the team closer, helps us think deeply about our reason for existing and for me personally, it helps me plan my transition knowing the team designed and now understand the strategic direction the organisation will go. It feels like the process is helping us put beacons on our shamba - this is where we are, and this is where we want to go!”
Our success is our partners’ success. This is what we live by in Maliasili. And I am confident that the current strategic planning process at IMPACT will help them be even more successful.
Photos: Jeff Waweru