Strategic implications of donor support at the Kenya institute of public policy research and analysis

Abstract

Donor support is considered a key input in influencing far-reaching strategic implications in both public and private organizations. In this study, the case of KIPPRA was investigated using data collected from all the seven departmental heads. Data was analyzed using content analysis. The study found that donor support was a key performance component at KIPPRA and its technical and financial components yielded significant strategic implications. Fundamentally, the donor inflows had remarkable strategic implications in core areas such as output quality in research policy formulation, institutional governance, finance and accountability, human resource capacity, and summative performance. The output quality of research was enabled through positive and value-adding donor motives and co-ownership in management. However, fragmentation of donor aids and conflicting restrictions/conditionalities were noticeable hindrances to intended goal-realizations. Governance was influenced through higher aid absorption capacity, collective investment decision making, and insistence on conditionalities. Financial accountability was enhanced through persistence on accountability standards and KIPPRA commitment through co-financing arrangements. The institution’s human resource strategy was considerably influenced by widened sharing of work experiences, incorporation of expatriates, consultants, and implementation of discriminate wage levels. The study recommended that primary partners in the funding arrangement collectively plan on how to deal with negative restrictions and conditionalities that were found to compromise aid absorption capacities. Also, to avoid disjointed programme implementation and unnecessarily inflated costs, donors and recipients need to adopt a dedicated and singular approach in view of maximizing efforts while minimizing wastages. Based on an observed weak post-funding arrangement, there was also need to strengthen relationships so that sustainability of finished projects is guaranteed.