baseline study report - philosophy.uonbi.ac.ke baseline... · workshop in nyeri from august...
TRANSCRIPT
This report was commissioned by RWI and the CHRP, with funds from Sida, and prepared by Geraldine Geraldo.
*Disclaimer: The statements made herein are the author’s personal conclusions based on an analysis of the data collected in the course of conducting this assessment and should not be attributed to RWI, CHRP and Sida.
BASELINE NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT
EVALUATION OF THE CAPACITY‐NEEDS AND
INSTITUTIONAL‐NEEDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
NAIROBI’S CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE
2
Centre for Human Rights and Peace
The CHRP is an academic Centre of the University of Nairobi. The aim of the CHRP is to enhance and promote
respect for human rights and peace through multi‐disciplinary education, training, research and community
outreach programmes. Its vision is to be respected and to be recognized as an internationally acclaimed multi‐
disciplinary centre for human rights and peace education committed to the entrenchment of a culture of
human rights and peace in Africa. Email contact: [email protected]
RWI ‐ Raoul Wallenberg Institute
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law was founded in 1984 and is an
independent academic institution situated in Lund, Sweden. The Institute is named after Raoul Wallenberg, a
Swedish diplomat, to pay homage to his courageous humanitarian work in Hungary during the end of the Second
World War. The mission of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute is to promote universal respect for human rights and
humanitarian law, by means of research, academic education, dissemination and institutional development. The
vision is to be Centre of excellence, meeting the highest international standards in all its sites of operation. Since
the early 1990s and with financial support from Sida, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute has arranged human rights
training programmes for professionals and offers institutional support to a wide range of human rights institutions
globally. Raoul Wallenberg Institute co‐publishes a range of human rights literature, and has a Master’s
programme on human rights in cooperation with Lund University Sweden. For additional details go to:
34Hwww.rwi.lu.se
Sida ‐ Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is the government agency with the task of planning
and administrating Sweden’s bilateral cooperation with developing countries. The aim of Sida is to provide effective
and sustainable development assistance in a changing world, which requires flexible methods based on a holistic and
cooperative approach. Sida’s activities are based on the assumption that the recipient countries wish to bring about
changes and are willing to invest their own resources to achieve these changes. The major part of the development
assistance is allocated to some 20 partner countries where long term assistance is implemented. Enhancing regional
cooperation in the site of human rights and democracy among the countries in East Africa constitutes a main priority
for Sida in its development cooperation activities in the region. For additional details go to: 35Hwww.sida.se
3
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMNS
CASELAP ‐ Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy
CHRP ‐ Centre for Human Rights and Peace
CHSS ‐ College of Humanities and Social Sciences
CIPL ‐ Centre for International Programmes and Links
DIHR ‐ Danish Institute for Human Rights
Dpt ‐ Department
IDIS ‐ Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies
KIHR ‐ Kenya Institute of Human Rights
M&E ‐ Monitoring and Evaluation
MOU ‐ Memorandum of Understanding
OrgCom ‐ Organizing Committee
RWI ‐ Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Sida ‐ Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
TA ‐ Technical Assistance
TORs ‐ Terms of Reference
TOT ‐ Training of Trainers
UoN ‐ University of Nairobi
I would like to thank the CHRP for their hospitality and collaboration during the site visit. I wish your institution the best and have no doubt that it will succeed and serve as a role model for future continental and global Human Rights and Peace programs. Special thanks to Margaret Wamuyu Muthee and Ivy Kihara. In addition, I would like to thank JB Ndhovu and Geraldine Bjällerstedt for their assistance in framing the study. CHRP and RWI Nairobi would also like to thank Sida for their generous support which made this baseline assessment possible.
Acknowledgments
4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
i. INTRODUCTION
The report presents findings of the baseline needs assessment of the University of Nairobi’s (UoN)
Centre for Human Rights and Peace (CHRP). The Assessment focused on the institutional capacity of the
CHRP to deliver on its proposed human rights programmes. The outcomes of the report are
recommendations, based on findings from literature review, the site visit, which included interviews
with the CHRP and UoN staff. In addition, the report included view from CHRP partners which were
amassed through a survey. The objective of the Assessment, as outlined in the Terms of Reference
(TORs) was to evaluate the existing resources and to identify the resource gaps, capacity gaps and
challenges faced in the course of the development of the CHRP.
ii. OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
The following is an outline of the key findings:
1. The CHRP focus is mainly directed towards delivery of academic programmes, while ignoring the
institutional framework.
2. Strategic Planning is defective. As of yet, the CHRP does not have a fully developed strategic
plan. There is a need to prioritise and plan for the implementation of the full concept in
different phases/stages.
3. The Curriculum, which was developed through a consultative process, still requires review and
all other major instruments related to the institutional framework need to be completed.
4. The Directorate and Organizing Committee (OrgCom) require training in project management.
5 5. The interim measures for the Programme Manager (PM) position need to be put in place. There
is need for a benchmark analysis on how the PM position will operate once the CHRP is fully
functional.
6. Areas requiring immediate action are: (i) the Training of Trainers (TOT) and (ii) acquisition of
office equipment and materials for the CHRP.
7. The CHRP needs to set up an effective database.
8. The CHRP needs an organized and aggressive donor/partner outreach plan.
OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS
From the findings noted above, the following key recommendations are being put forward to assist in
the institutional development and capacity‐building of the CHRP.
1. In the strategic planning process there must be a clear outline of academic programmes versus
institutional framework. 2. The strategic planning process must also clearly outline the priorities and an attempt must be
made to roll‐out the implementation of the proposed programme. 3. All the major instruments related to the institutional framework must be put in place before the
CHRP acquires legal status. 4. All members of the CHRP’s management organs require training in programme management. In
the short‐term, priority should be to train key members in the OrgCom and in the Directorate. 5. The roles and responsibilities and lines of accountability of all members must be clearly outlined. 6. The CHRP needs to set up a database to facilitate its planning process, enhance its decision‐
making process and sharpen its resource mobilization strategy. 7. The most important needs, which will accelerate progress, are the acquisition of office
equipment and materials, training of trainers in human rights and realization of the strategic
planning workshop with a session to review implementation of activities since the CHRP
workshop in Nyeri from August 27‐30, 2008.
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMNS.......................................................................................................................... 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 4
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 4
OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS........................................................................................................................... 4
OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................... 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................................................... 6
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................. 9
Objectives.................................................................................................................................................. 9
Methodology...........................................................................................................................................10
Outline of the Report ..............................................................................................................................11
INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF THE CHRP........................................12
Leading Observations..............................................................................................................................12
Findings ...................................................................................................................................................13
Academic versus Institutional Needs..................................................................................................13
Prioritise and Roll‐Out Implementation of Activities.........................................................................14
Curriculum...........................................................................................................................................15
CHRP Governance ...............................................................................................................................16
INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE CHRP.................................................................................................18
General Observations & Findings ...........................................................................................................18
Project Manager .....................................................................................................................................20
Organizational Structure of the CHRP.................................................................................................20
PM’s “Employer”................................................................................................................................22
CORE NEEDS................................................................................................................................................24
7 Capacity Needs of Teaching Staff............................................................................................................24
Office Equipment and Material...............................................................................................................25
Documentation Centre............................................................................................................................27
STAKEHOLDERS ...........................................................................................................................................29
Internal Stakeholders..............................................................................................................................29
External Stakeholders .............................................................................................................................30
Partners...............................................................................................................................................30
Community..........................................................................................................................................35
Haki‐Afrika...............................................................................................................................................36
SWOT ANALYSIS ..........................................................................................................................................37
LIST OF FIGURES & TABLES Figure 1: List of Interviewees
Figure 2: Organization Charts (PM Position)
Figure 3: Types of Possible Stakeholder Engagements
Figure 4: External Stakeholder Engagement (Community)
Figure 5: Haki‐Afrika‐CHRP Relationship
Table 1: Partners Response to Questionnaire
Table 2: SWOT Analysis
APPENDICES Appendix i: Baseline Needs Assessment TORs
Appendix ii: Roundtable Attendance List
Appendix iii: Concept Paper
Appendix iv: Curriculum for the Post Gradate Diploma and Masters Degree in Human Rights
Appendix v: Curriculum Development Specialist TORs
8 Appendix vi: Nyeri Workshop Report
Appendix vii: TORs for the PM
Appendix viii: UoN Library Brochure
Appendix ix: Roundtable Discussion Paper
Appendix x: MoU between RWI & UoN
Appendix xi: CHRP Work Plan 2009
Appendix xii: External Stakeholders Survey
9
1. INTRODUCTION
This report consolidates findings of a baseline needs assessment (Assessment) of the University of
Nairobi’s Centre for Human Rights and Peace. The two‐pronged evaluation was a month‐long exercise,
from October 5 to 30, 2009, and it included a five day site visit. The purpose of the Assessment was to
determine the resource needs of the CHRP in order for it to fulfil its vision of being a “respected and
internationally acclaimed multi‐disciplinary centre for human rights and peace education”. The
Assessment was an external evaluation commissioned by CHRP and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for
Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI). This report, through its recommendations, is expected to
contribute towards the CHRP’s strategic planning process.
1.1. Objectives
The objectives of the Assessment, as outlined in the Terms of Reference (TORs) (Appendix i), were the
following:
♣ To evaluate the available resources (human, financial, library and equipment, amongst others),
or lack thereof, at the CHRP.
♣ To identify capacity gaps and weaknesses at the CHRP, both structural and operational
(management structure, legal framework, budget allocation, programme areas and staffing,
amongst others).
♣ To formulate (mid‐term and long‐term) recommendations based on the findings of the
Assessment.
As adverted to in the previous sub‐section, the desired outcome is that the Assessment would pave the
way for capacity building and institutional development, with the immediate aim being to provide
direction to the strategic planning efforts.
10
1.2. Methodology
The TORs succinctly outlined the methodology to be employed. The Assessment comprised of the
following tasks:
♣ Literature review: Involved review of a suite of documents related to the constitution and
activities of the CHRP.
♣ Site visit: Involved an on‐site visit to the CHRP facilities for observation and interviews with
CHRP stakeholders and other relevant entities. An attempt was made to ensure that the
evaluation was inclusive (Figure 1) and transparent. With respect to the latter, the site visit
ended with a participative discussion of the main findings, the Roundtable.
♣ External stakeholder surveys: Involved review of responses to a questionnaire sent out to the
CHRP’s external partners.
Figure 1: List of Interviewees
CHRP Members Non‐CHRP Members
The Roundtable also served to amass the opinions of other members of the CHRP who were not
available for one‐on‐one interviews. Eleven people participated in the Roundtable (Appendix ii –
Geraldine Bjällerstedt; RWI Head of NairobiOffice
Grimur Magnusson – International Coordinator; Mälmo University
CHRP Partners
♣ Prof Charles Okidi; Director ‐ Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law & Policy (CASELAP), (UoN)
♣ Daniel Kiarie; Director ‐ Centre for International Programmes & Links (CIPL), (UoN)
♣ Hudson Liyai; Deputy University Librarian (UoN)
Representatives of UoN Centers
11 Roundtable Attendance List). Members of the CHRP who were not interviewed but provided their
opinions through the Roundtable discussion on the 16th October are:
♣ Prof Enos Njeru; Chairman of the Directorate; Dean of the Faculty of Arts (UoN)
♣ Dr Wambui Kiai; Member of the Directorate; Director of the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication (UoN)
♣ Dr Mercy Mugo; Member of the Research and Fundraising Subcommittee; Lecturer of the
School of Economics (UoN)
♣ Maloba Wekesa; Member of the Haki‐Afrika Kenya Chapter; Lecturer of the Dpt of Linguistics
and Language (UoN)
♣ Alex Wanjala; Member of the Haki‐Afrika Kenya Chapter; Lecturer of the Dpt of Literature (UoN)
All of the above culminated into this report which comprises only the first part of the wider project.
These findings should provide an essential launch pad for the work ahead which consists primarily of
capacity building and institutional development at the CHRP.
1.3. Outline of the Report
The paper begins with an analysis of the instruments relating to the institutional framework of the
CHRP, namely; the Concept Paper and the Curriculum. Section 3 discusses the institutional structure of
the CHRP. Thereafter, section 4 outlines the needs that are central to the CHRP’s core activities, namely;
teaching, coordination and research. Section 5 reports on the internal and external relationships of the
CHRP. And finally, section 6 is a brief SWOT analysis.
12
2. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO THE
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF
THE CHRP
2.1. Leading Observations
The CHRP requires approval by the UoN administration in order to acquire legal status. Recognition as a
legal entity is a prerequisite for the CHRP to execute its mandate and carry out some of its activities. Its
importance cannot be understated. To obtain this approval the centre must route two instruments
relating to the institutional framework , namely the Concept Paper (Appendix iii) and the Curriculum for
the Post Graduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Human Rights (Curriculum) (Appendix iv), through
the UoN’s administrative structure.
With respect to the instruments relating to the institutional framework of the CHRP, the following have
been identified as the leading observations:
♣ Academic requirements have pre‐eminence over other institutional requirements at the CHRP.
♣ The CHRP plans to implement all its programmes in a single phase. There is no plan to roll‐out
the implementation of the planned programmes in different phases.
♣ There is lack of consensus as to what further investment needs to be made into the Curriculum
and the purpose of any such investment.
♣ Instruments, relating to the institutional framework, that need to be finalised: Concept Paper,
Mandate and Code of Conduct.
13 2.2. Findings
2.2.1. Academic versus Institutional
Needs
The Assessment revealed that at the moment, concentration is on development of academic
programmes at the risk of leaving out institutional development. The most striking example is the
development of the Curriculum and the Concept Paper. The Curriculum was drafted through an inclusive
process and is being routed through the UoN’s administrative structure for approval. It has already
passed, what is considered a “critical stage”, namely approval by the Faculty of Arts Board. It still
requires approval by the UoN College Academic Board of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
(CHSS) and the UoN Senate. In contrast, the Concept Paper, which is more of a corporate document, is
still in draft form. At the time of the study, most of the interviewees were certain of the Curriculum and
its stage in the approval process. In contrast, a number of them were not clear about the Concept Paper
and its progress in the approval structure. Although there may be a number of reasons for this, the
findings revealed that this could be somewhat attributed to the fact that the CHRP has been
conceptualised mostly by academics, and currently, only one of its members is not an academic. This
could justify the greater interest in the Curriculum.
The risks associated with the pre‐eminence of some activities over others, includes, amongst others
delays in execution of fundamental activities and it could have an impact on the efficiency of the CHRP,
particularly, because it has to coordinate activities that involve different departments and faculties.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The CHRP needs to take stock of all activities that need to be undertaken and categorise them into two,
“academic” and “institutional” during the strategic planning process. The allocation of tasks amongst the
CHRP members at the Organizing Committee (OrgCom) level must respect this distinction. In addition,
14 reporting on activities to the Directorate must be segregated. The reporting process must be clear
enough to enable the Directorate to determine the nature of the activity being reported and to control
progress in both areas. Further, the Concept Paper needs to be finalised as it will guide all other actions
undertaken by the CHRP.
2.2.2. Prioritise and Roll‐Out
Implementation of Activities
The CHRP intends to have seven degree programmes and several short courses, in addition to its
research and publication programme and the documentation programme. In the action plan outlined in
the draft Concept Paper, by November 2009, Curricula will be developed for the remaining five
proposed programmes. Although, conceptualisation might be easy to manage, the execution reality
might differ, particularly if the intention is to provide quality human rights programmes. From
comparative research with human rights centres across the globe, the conclusion drawn is that the
CHRP’s teaching programme is ambitious. The existing institutional capacity of the CHRP to effectively
coordinate the proposed number of programmes threatens the quality and execution of some of the
programmes. A review of the UoN’s CASELAP concept paper, shows that that the UoN’s centres
generally propose a large number of teaching programmes. However, unlike the other centres that were
interviewed, the CHRP will require a great amount of capacity, because, it has to coordinate activities
that involve members of different departments and faculties.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
♣ Overall, implementation of planned activities will require greater involvement of all members.
♣ There are two methods that the CHRP could consider in order to address the above, namely:
prioritization and rolling out the implementation of the activities. In its strategic planning
process, the CHRP needs to identify the programmes that it considers to be priority. This does
not imply that all the programmes will not be executed. The entire programme as envisaged will
be executed, but simply in different phases/stages. These phases must be outlined in detail in
15 the Concept Paper. The prioritization should have a trickledown effect, as it must happen in
every phase to the level of activities. The above will enable the CHRP to run a pilot program to
identify its strengths, areas that require attention, and to institutionalize its processes,
procedures and cultures. Rolling out the implementation of the activities is a strategy that could
improve the performance of the CHRP significantly in the long‐term. The first phase could be a
pilot phase, whereby, the courses in the Curriculum are implemented for a defined period, for
instance, a year. This will be a test phase and will allow the CHRP to test its capacity, the actual
demand for the courses and the availability of resources. After running the programmes for at
least a year, the CHRP could carry out an assessment and make recommendations on how to
implement the other academic programmes. This will also improve quality control and planning,
as each phase will inform the next.
♣ In addition to this rolled‐out implementation, the CHRP needs to conduct mid‐term reviews of
its activities. A fundamental review that needs to be carried out is the review (follow‐up) of the
Nyeri workshop. The CHRP needs to review the goals and objectives set out at the Workshop,
determine whether they were met and if not, discuss why they were not met and map a way
forward to implement the activities. This review could be included as one of the first sessions in
the strategic planning workshop as it will provide the CHRP with a clear outline of progress that
has been made and the pending activities. If it is not included as a session in the strategic
planning, the Organizing Committee should take the lead in organizing it.
2.2.3. Curriculum
During the study, an assessment which was documented and discussed was the engagement of a
curriculum development specialist to comment on the Curriculum. There are TORs (Appendix v) that
have been drafted to this end. The Assessment revealed that the CHRP was undecided with respect to
whether a review of the Curriculum was necessary. At the Roundtable, there was consensus that: (i) the
remaining steps in the UoN approval process will require proof of stakeholder engagement in the
development of the Curriculum, and; (ii) although the core elements of the curriculum should not be
changed at this stage, within its parameters teachers will have to develop their own course outlines.
Moreover, thus far, the Curriculum has only been discussed at the level of the CHRP management,
16 namely, the Directorate and OrgCom. The Assessment revealed a need for it to cascade to the teachers
who will be teaching the courses.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
From the Assessment it was evident that it would still be useful to evaluate (peer review) the Curriculum
at this stage. This could help the CHRP determine ways to address the shortcomings in the curriculum
and it could also provide lessons learnt for future programmes. Although, the objectives and outcomes
in the TORs of the curriculum development specialist are adequate, the background section should be
updated to reflect the approvals obtained and the remaining ones. Two useful suggestions were made,
during the Assessment, to optimize the benefits of engaging the specialist. These are that, the CHRP
should use the Curriculum evaluation to conduct the needed stakeholder consultation, and, the
curriculum development specialist and CHRP should train the teachers on the Curriculum. This could be
a module included in the TOT workshop.
2.2.4. CHRP Governance
Besides the Concept Paper, the CHRP has not drafted other institutional instruments that are referenced
in the Nyeri report and in other Agreements that have been executed with external stakeholders. These
include the Code of Conduct and its Mandate. In addition, the CHRP needs to outline internal
regulations that will guide its management units, particularly, in their decision making process.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is recommended that the CHRP completes these documents during this preparatory stage. The Nyeri
Report (Appendix vi) provides important reference and background material for CHRP’s development
plan. However, there is need to dissect its various components and to develop them into actual
principles, regulations and actionable items, in order for the CHRP to transition from a concept into
reality. In addition, there is need for the CHRP to determine which university policies/regulations will
apply/govern these organs and to ensure that these rules/policies are adopted by the appropriate CHRP
organs.
18
3. INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF
THE CHRP
The current institutional structure resembles the organizational structure set out in the in the draft
Concept Paper. Putting the envisaged structure into practice in this formative stage is a sound approach
as it will enable the CHRP to test the efficiency of the model and to make amends before the CHRP
becomes fully operational. A good example of a change that was implemented to address a gap in
information flow between the OrgCom and the Directorate is appointing the Secretary of the OrgCom as
an ex‐officio member of the Directorate. The purpose of creating this role was to bridge the knowledge
gap between the implementing unit and the decision‐making body.
3.1. General Observations & Findings
As an academic centre within the UoN, the CHRP has the benefit of a support structure with established
rules and procedures. In order to fully take advantage of this institutionalized environment, the
Assessment identified the following as possible action items for the CHRP:
♣ Compliance Monitoring Strategy: The CHRP’s benefits and efficiency will depend largely on how
it is viewed by the UoN. A healthy relationship with its host is vital. However, like most
universities the UoN is said to have bureaucratic rules that also, without desiring, have the
potential of retarding the progress of the CHRP. Moreover, a number of milestones achieved by
the CHRP thus far are as a result of the good personal relationship that members of the CHRP
have with the UoN administration and, with respect to compliance with university regulations,
the CHRP relies on the extensive knowledge of some of its members.
19 RECOMMENDATIONS:
Although the above stated has served the institution well in this formative stage, there is need
to institutionalize this knowledge. This will make the CHRP more efficient, particularly, because:
Its activities require a number of approvals; and,
Some of its processes and procedures relating to its core activities will be handled by the
UoN administration, amongst others, procedures relating to teaching staff and student
enrolment and fees.
A compliance monitoring strategy is essential, especially in the long‐term, for strategic planning
purposes. On the one hand, the CHRP needs to create a database of all UoN regulations that
have an impact on its activities. And, in the long‐term, the centre will need to track its
compliance with UoN rules and regulations. This will ensure that the CHRP complies with the
regulatory environment of the UoN as a unit within the university. This is also important,
because of the political nature of human rights (even as a discipline). The CHRP will need to be
aware of/capable of determining when it is being unduly restricted to carry out some of its
activities. It is a fact that the vision of being a respected and internationally acclaimed centre
will also hinge on factors stemming from this particular initiative. Also, the CHRP needs to
conduct a survey to determine how other centres at the UoN operate. This is important to
provide the CHRP with practical views and directions that could help in the planning processes.
♣ Directorate: The Directorate is the decision‐making entity within the CHRP structure. It has a
sound structure and is adequately suited to fulfil its mandate. Moreover, the group is
extensively knowledgeable about the academic component of the CHRP. Two capacity gaps
were detected in this organ, namely;
First, the Assessment detected that members of the Directorate require training in
project management.
Second, the Assessment revealed that the current Secretary of the Directorate is not
adequately fulfilling the role. The CHRP addressed this shortcoming by appointing the
Secretary of the OrgCom as an ex‐officio member of the Directorate. This bridging of
gaps is commendable and important to avoid the two organs from drifting apart.
Nonetheless, it does not dispense with the need for an effective Secretary in the
Directorate.
20
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Training of the Directorate in programme management would strengthen the decision‐making
process. A short term solution would be to include a session in the strategic planning workshop
to address the project management gap.
With respect to the Directorate’s Secretary, the Assessment was unable to identify the actual
reasons for the current performance of the Secretary. The short‐term recommendation is that
the CHRP should try and identify the reasons and to address them, failing which, the institution
must consider nominating a new Secretary.
♣ Organizing Committee: The OrgCom undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in the constitution of the
CHRP. The needs of this unit are tied to the individual positions which are the PM’s position, the
Secretary and the various sub‐committees. The Secretary of the OrgCom is well‐placed and plays
a vital role. Some of the sub‐committees reported de‐motivation, which has slowed down the
pace of their performance. This is somewhat linked to the lack of office material at the CHRP,
and has been addressed extensively below.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The following are recommended trainings for the Secretary of the OrgCom and the Project
Manager (PM): ICT skills, Information Management, Project Management and human rights
training. In addition to the above, it would be useful for the Secretary of the OrgCom and the
PM to visit other academic centres in other countries for them to get a practical sense of how
human rights centres operate.
3.2. Project Manager
3.2.1. Organizational Structure of the
CHRP
21 Based on the Assessment, two models of the organizational structure of the CHRP were identified.
(Figure 2). The uncertainty, with respect to which position the PM occupies, is the main difference
between the two models, and it directly impacts the execution of responsibilities and accountability. The
status quo is reflected in the model 1 structure. The PM is not a supervised position and there is no clear
division of tasks between the PM and the Secretary of the OrgCom. Model 2 stood out throughout the
Assessment as the model that emanated from the Workshop at Nyeri. In model 2, the PM is a
supervised position and reports to the Secretary of the OrgCom.
In the organizational chart in the Concept Paper; the PM’s role is not clear. The PM falls under the
Coordinator and is responsible for three roles which, the Coordinator also directly accounts for. These
are the short training programmes; research, publication and documentation; and, links, fundraising,
exchange and attachment.
Moreover, currently the CHRP has a de facto but not a de jure PM. The current PM has been carrying out
CHRP duties as a result of her engagement with Haki‐Afrika. Even the equipment used to perform CHRP
tasks is from Haki‐Afrika. The CHRP and RWI have drafted TORs for the PM position (Appendix vii) and
set out the PM’s responsibility. The incumbent PM has the necessary qualifications to execute the task,
but, the lack of office equipment and the instability of her contractual situation could adversely affect
the quality of her performance or in the worst case scenario, she could leave the CHRP. This would be a
setback in the institution not only because of the fact that she is the only full time employee of the
CHRP, but also because of her familiarity with the CHRP’s affairs.
Figure 2: Organization Charts (PM position)
Model 1
22
RECOMMENDATIONS:
♣ There is need to urgently execute the consultancy contract with the incumbent. The Secretary of
the OrgCom needs to follow‐up the matter with RWI. The current TORs contemplate a
consultancy contract that expires in December 2009. Given the progress of events thus far,
there is need to extend the consultancy contract beyond the current set period to ensure that
the CHRP is able to transition to the next phase. After the CHRP has attained legal status, it will
have to follow recommendations emanating from the benchmark analysis suggested below on
recruitment of a PM.
♣ The TORs need to clearly detail the roles and responsibilities of the PM. These should be clearly
distinguished from those of the OrgCom secretary. As a general observation, the Concept Paper
or the Mandate needs to clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of the members of the
CHRP. Another task that should be included in the TORs is “follow‐up”. The CHRP has a number
of requests that it submitted to donors/partners and there is need to follow‐up on the status of
these requests, document them and report them to the CHRP management.
3.2.2. PM’s “Employer”
Although the organizational chart of the CHRP in the Concept Paper creates the Programmes Manager
(which will be the equivalent of the PM after the CHRP has been fully constituted) position, there is
RWI Nbi
Head of Office
Model 2
23 confusion as to whether this position will be occupied by an employee of the UoN, or if the position will
be filled through external sourcing. The staffing approach taken for the Programme Manager position
has a direct impact on costs (funding of the position), viability (UoN does not want a centre that will
increase its costs) and efficiency (restrictions on access to information for non‐university staff).
RECOMMENDATIONS:
From the roundtable discussion, it was noted that the issue was discussed at the workshop in Nyeri.
Nonetheless, there are still uncertainties and divergent views on the matter. It was suggested that the
OrgCom should carry out a benchmark analysis to determine which option of staffing is the most
optimal. This analysis could be conducted internally by the OrgCom. At this juncture, irrespective of the
mid‐term solution derived from the analysis, a sustainable approach in the long‐term is to have a UoN
employee occupy the PM position.
24
4. CORE NEEDS
This section outlines the needs associated with the core activities of the CHRP, which are; teaching,
research and coordination.
4.1. Capacity Needs of Teaching Staff
The most apparent need is the training of trainers (TOT). With teaching programmes scheduled to
commence in May 2010, there is need to prepare the primary resources for the task. The CHRP does not
have staffing problems and neither does it have shortcomings in general pedagogic skills. The challenge
lies in mainstreaming human rights in each of the disciplines that will be part of the CHRP’s programme.
The major challenge is that there is no firm donor/partner commitment as of yet with regard to the TOT.
During the course of drafting this report, Equitas expressed an interest of collaborating with the CHRP
and other partners, to develop and implement a TOT. The proposed program is comprised of three
components, namely; a five‐day workshop, participants’ implementation of a practicum with distance
coaching from Equitas and an evaluation meeting to discuss lessons learnt and best practices.
In addition, the CHRP needs to further improve its planning in this respect. From the Assessment, it
seems that there has been donor outreach and some donors/partners have responded to the proposals
with specific suggestions which have not been followed up. During the Assessment, not all OrgCom
members were aware of the responses by donors/partners. Although this report cannot provide
concrete justifications for this, it seemed as though one of the reasons could be that some members are
not proactive and follow‐up on activities or communication relating to the CHRP. In addition, the
Assessment revealed that there are different levels of human rights knowledge amongst the teachers.
Whilst some teachers have never had any opportunity to teach human rights, others have been trained
25 and teach human rights in their respective disciplines. There is thus need for firm donor/partner
commitment and to standardize human rights knowledge amongst the teaching staff.
RECOMMENDATION:
♣ The CHRP needs an aggressive effort to secure a firm commitment from donors on the TOT as
this is a priority.
♣ To improve planning in this regard, the database created by the CHRP with respect to teachers
should capture as much information as permitted by the UoN regulations. It is important to
have specific sections in the database that lists the human rights training each teacher received
and the institution that provided the course, as well as, the year the individual attended the
course. This will enable the CHRP to determine the knowledge levels and to tailor a course that
caters for all levels. More importantly, the CHRP could then identify a benchmark level, which is
the level (taking into account the levels of knowledge) of human rights knowledge every teacher
will be expected to have in order to teach human rights and peace related courses.
♣ The TOT must include other modules relevant to the teachers besides human rights. For
instance, there must be sessions on the CHRP (its structure and programmes) and the
Curriculum.
♣ The TOT must have outcomes that are tangible. The size of the group and the expertise can be
utilized to achieve this. A good suggestion that was made during the Assessment was, producing
a teachers’ manual/instructors’ guide from the discussions in the TOT.
4.2. Office Equipment and Material
The UoN has provided the CHRP with office space, basic furniture and physical space for a
documentation centre. RWI has also contributed in the form of basic furniture. The physical space is
limited, but there are long‐term future prospects that could be exploited to provide bigger office space
for the CHRP. The CHRP lacks basic office equipment and supplies. It does not have stationery,
computers, printers, fax machine, overhead projector and a phone, among others. These needs are
slowing down the momentum and implementation of activities. Members of the CHRP use personal
26 resources, which are limited, to fulfill some tasks. The CHRP has requested RWI for assistance in this
regard. There is need for the OrgCom to follow‐up with RWI on the request.
Besides the basic office equipment, another issue being considered by the CHRP is the design of a
webpage. It has held discussions with with the relevant UoN department, in connection with acquiring a
webpage on UoN’s website. Therefore, the CHRP will not incur any hosting or management costs. The
resources it will have to mobilize on its own are the technical resources, which are a webmaster to
design the webpage and the necessary software. The PM and the Secretary of the OrgCom, will also
require training to enable them to manage the webpage. The webpage is necessary to; among others,
promote the activities of the CHRP, to facilitate fundraising, improve dissemination of information and
increase transparency in CHRP management.
Besides the creation of a webpage, the CHRP needs to prioritize setting up a database. Currently, the
Secretary of the OrgCom and the PM, each have their own private databases. However, the hard copies
and files are available to all members. The current systems are working and meeting the current needs,
however, as the CHRP grows the database needs to be systematized and institutionalized.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
♣ The CHRP, specifically the PM and the OrgCom, needs to track progress with respect to
assistance for office equipment and supplies. In addition, CHRP needs to identify other potential
donors/partners to support and complement RWI’s efforts.
♣ The CHRP needs to track progress with respect to assistance for the design of the webpage. The
PM and the Secretary of the OrgCom need ICT training to enable them to manage the webpage.
♣ CHRP needs to create a single shared database that can be accessed by all permitted members.
The database should contain all information relevant to the organization. The Secretary of the
OrgCom and the PM need to be trained on database management. Efforts should be made to
extend this to the larger group, as this is a skill that is central to the CHRP’s coordinating role.
This training could be offered as a refresher during the strategic planning workshop.
27 4.3. Documentation Centre
The proposed documentation centre is one of the core mandates of the CHRP. The CHRP currently
does not have a collection of books, but it has facilities for a documentation centre. The Assessment
revealed that a fully functional documentation centre could be instrumental in expediting the UoN’s
approval of the Concept Paper. This is because the UoN is not in a position to support the
establishment of any new centre. Therefore, an established and well‐funded centre could serve as
proof to the UoN that the CHRP will not be a financial burden. The objective should thus be to
establish a functioning documentation centre as soon as possible. The documentation centre
currently houses a very small collection of books that were donated by the Centre for Human Rights
in Pretoria. The CHRP has two alternatives to choose from with respect to the creation of the
documentation centre. One, it could either create an independent centre without any connection to
the existing UoN libraries. (Appendix viii: UoN Library Brochure) The second alternative would be to
mainstream the documentation centre within the UoN library system. Both options do not dispense
with the CHRP’s need to acquire books and computers and to train the PM and/or Secretary of the
OrgCom. The trainings are simply to ensure that at every stage, the CHRP has the capacity to handle
any documentation material it acquires. It is a temporary/short‐term solution.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
♣ The CHRP will need the following equipment and support for its documentation centre: books,
computers and software, overhead projector and training of the PM and/or the Secretary of the
OrgCom.
♣ Irrespective of how the CHRP chooses to operate its documentation centre, it will need to draft
TORs for a professional documentalist.
♣ Both; running an independent documentation centre and mainstreaming the CHRP
documentation centre have their pros and cons. Below is a comparison of the two options:
1. Mainstreaming CHRP documentation centre:
The acquisition of books will improve as it will benefit from allocation of funds from a
central vault. This will guarantee acquisitions. The risk lies in the bureaucratic
28 tendencies in the UoN’s administrative framework that could delay the acquisition of
books.
The staffing of the documentation centre will be managed by the UoN. There are
benefits of staffing, training of staff and backstopping of documentalist by a larger pool
of library personnel. The risk is that it will be difficult for CHRP to organize specialized
training for its documentalist.
The CHRP’s documentation centre would benefit from use of the UoN library electronic
system. The catalog is web‐based and can be accessed through any UoN domain.
The CHRP would benefit from the UoN’s existing arrangements for acquisitions, such as,
an ongoing project with local publishers.
The CHRP documentation centre would not require its own system/database for the
documentation centre. It would benefit from UoN’s SMART system (Belgian system).
This system can be easily interfaced with others.
2. Independent documentation centre:
Staffing: It implies that the CHRP will need to offer an attractive remuneration package
so as to attract and retain qualified personnel. CHRP will have to seek funding for this
position.
♣ The Deputy University librarian at UoN recommended the following plan, which is endorsed by
this Assessment, for the CHRP documentation centre:
The CHRP should begin with an independent documentation centre. This would enable
it to: (i) assess its strengths & weaknesses; (ii) avoid university bureaucracy (particularly
with respect to acquisition of material & providing specialized training for a
documentalist); and (iii) to establish its own processes and procedures.
As a long‐term plan the goal must be to mainstream the documentation centre into the
UoN library framework. This would be a sustainable approach as the CHRP would
benefit from the support extended by the university.
♣ Besides the CHRP documentation centre, students of the CHRP’s programmes, by virtue of their
registration with UoN, will have access to several other UoN libraries. There is an inter‐library
loaning system in place.
29
5. STAKEHOLDERS
CHRP has different types of stakeholders. The following illustration captures the different actual and/or
necessary stakeholders the institution has and should have.
Figure 3: Types of Possible Stakeholder Engagements
5.1. Internal Stakeholders
The working atmosphere amongst the bulk of CHRP members is good. This is partially due to the fact
that most of the members are part of the Faculty of Arts and several members are part of Haki, both
regional and local chapter. Besides the Faculty of Arts, the CHRP has four other members who are not
part of the Faculty, but fall under the umbrella of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS).
These are the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the School of Law, School of Economics
30 and the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies (IDIS). Some of the internal stakeholders have
not participated actively in CHRP’s activities, especially those that are not part of the Faculty of Arts. The
School of Law and IDIS are not active in CHRP activities. During the Assessment the School of Law was
invited for an interview and it scheduled a telephonic appointment which it did not honor. However,
with respect to the School of Law, the Assessment revealed that a change in administration contributed
to its inactivity. However, there are risks of delay in execution of activities if all the units are not actively
involved, particularly in the decision‐making body, the Directorate. This statement hinges on the fact
that these units have a role in approving the instruments relating to the institutional framework and
plans of the CHRP that require approval by the Board of the CHSS and they are also tasked with
implementing the project. There is a clear need to have all internal stakeholders actively involved.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
♣ Stimulate top‐down pressure to encourage/increase participation: There is need for the
Directorate to put pressure on the internal stakeholders that are not active. The Assessment
revealed that an effective method could be a top‐down approach, whereby, the Deans and Directors
could lobby the UoN administration to encourage and put pressure on all units to get involved in the
project.
♣ Demand measurable outcomes and deadlines: Coupled with the approach suggested immediately
above, the CHRP needs to put into place a system of allocating tasks to all members, particularly
those that are least active, so as to be more engaged in the CHRP’s activities. These tasks must be
specific, measurable, and attainable and there must be accountability measures in place within set
timelines.
5.2. External Stakeholders
5.2.1. Partners
31 The CHRP has external outreach. It has managed to secure certain links with various institutions,
amongst others RWI (Appendix x: MoU between RWI & UoN), Mälmo University, Equitas, Danish
Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), FAHAMU and the Kenya Human Rights Institute (KIHR). This
Assessment made an attempt to amass the views of these external stakeholders through a survey
(Appendix xi: External Stakeholders Survey).
Table 1: Partners Response to the Questionnaire
Questions Responses Recommendations
Which areas of cooperation
could your institution extend
to CHRP?
1. Technical Assistance (TA): Baseline
Assessments, Strategic Planning &
Strategic Institutional Development,
Peer Review of Relating to the
institutional framework Documents;
eg. Curriculum.
2. Supporting CHRP Core Activities:
TOT; eg, TA & funding, Trainings,
documentation centre; eg, TA &
materials, Framing research &
academic exchanges; eg. TA &
linking CHRP to external
programmes.
3. Teacher/Student exchanges.
♣ CHRP needs to have a
donor directory in its
database, and in addition, it
could purchase published
comprehensive guides. The
database must include
possible areas of
cooperation with each
donor/partner and specific
forms and requirements of
each donor/partner. The
areas/categories of
cooperation must
correspond to those
identified by the CHRP in its
strategic plan.
Which standards does your
institution adhere to when
providing assistance?
1. Specific: Contracts and governance
of each specific project.
2. General: HRBA principles; eg.
transparency, inclusiveness,
participatory processes, equality and
accountability.
3. Some institutions have their own
institutional rules and policies which
♣ This information must be
contained in the database
to facilitate donor outreach
exercises. For instance, the
CHRP was requested by
donors to include tangible
outcomes in its TOT
proposal. If this information
had already been known at
32 they require their partners to
adhere to.
the time of drafting the
proposal, CHRP could have
already moved to the next
phase of negotiations.
In your past engagement with
the CHRP, have you
experienced any constraints?
1. The leadership structure, in terms
of, project implementation is not
clear. There seems to be an inability
of the CHRP leadership to effectively
implement activities agreed upon
and the lines of accountability, with
respect to implementation, are not
clear.
2. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
tools used by the CHRP are not
clear.
♣ The Mandate must be
drafted, with sufficient
detail to enable partners to
understand the CHRP
structure and responsibility.
♣ The implementing body and
its responsibilities must be
clear to the partners as
they are the point of
contact.
♣ Progress reports ‐ CHRP
must establish a culture of
updating partners on
progress.
♣ During the strategic
planning workshop, the
CHRP need to design M&E
tools and implement their
use.
When dealing with the CHRP:
♣ Is the objective of
your engagement
clear?
♣ Are the mission,
vision and goal of the
CHRP clear?
1. Generally objectives are clearly
outlined. The CHRP, as an academic
unit within the UoN is required to
formalize its relationships through
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU).
2. The CHRP mission and vision are
clear. However, the goals need to be
♣ CHRP needs to prepare a
“Partners’ Package” that
includes a clear outline of
the rules of engagement of
the CHRP with external
units. It must clearly
delineate, what is a UoN
requirement and what the
CHRP considers internal
33 precise and tangible. They should be
phased out into short‐term, mid‐
term and long‐term action plans.
CHRP requirement.
♣ CHRP needs to phase out
and prioritize its activities
during the strategic
planning process.
Is there any other information
you would like to provide
concerning your engagement
with the CHRP?
1. The UoN should immediately
employ a coordinator for the CHRP
based on a competitive and
transparent process.
2. The current PM and Secretary
should be empowered by the
leadership to effectively implement
programming activities, including,
creation of an operational budget
and financial mechanisms for
receiving donor funds.
♣ The UoN administration is
quite clear that it does not
want the creation of a
centre that will increase its
costs. Hiring a coordinator
could have that impact.
Neither will it be possible to
hire any CHRP staff, until,
the CHRP acquires legal
status. The short‐term
solution is to strengthen
the current role of the
Secretary of the OrgCom to
fulfill this programming
role.
♣ With respect to budgeting
and financial aspects, the
UoN administration has
specific requirements and
processes that the CHRP
must use. The justification
provided is that for
accountability and
transparency, these
processes were designed
and include all financial
controls. The Assessment
found that the best way for
34 the CHRP to work with its
partners, is to include in the
“Partners’ Package” the
different options available
and the controls they have
and other relevant
information and give
partners an option.
In accordance with the findings of the Assessment, thus far, the funding outreach has depended largely
on the experience of members. Although a sub‐committee of the OrgCom has this mandate, work in this
regard has been sporadic, reactionary and ad hoc. There is need for an institutionalized approach to
securing funding and assistance. The approach must be holistic and address all the elements of funding.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
♣ Besides those listed in Table 1 above, the PM and Secretary of the OrgCom, need training in
proposal writing and outreach to potential partners and donors. In the short‐term, the most
beneficial form of training would be on‐the job training. The CHRP could house an expert for a
period of time. The advantage of this approach is that there will be knowledge transfer and at
the same time there will be tangible outcomes that could be used to secure funding at this
formative stage.
♣ The Directorate needs to adopt a “Partners’ Package” to secure funding. Currently, for every
potential partner, the PM needs to draft a concept paper. This approach does not improve the
institution’s ability to respond to calls for proposals; neither does it improve the institutions
ability to monitor its development in this area. A “Partners’ Package” is a suite of
standard/model CHRP forms, that do not contain specific information. It includes all information
that is always required by funding partners. It should be the starting point in drafting any
proposal and if there are any changes to it, when it is adapted to suit a specific partner/donor;
these changes should be approved by the Directorate. This would increase control and improve
future planning.
♣ A basic “Partners’ Package” should at least contain the following:
A concept paper/proposal
35 CHRP profile
Brochure
Budget
Log frame matrix
The Organizational Chart – it should be a comprehensive document, which also outlines
reporting and supervision lines (accountability), roles and responsibilities and tenures.
Rules and procedures applicable to the CHRP ‐ clearly highlighting the rules which are
mandatory UoN policies and regulations, and the ones which are flexible.
The different financial options available to the CHRP partners, with respect to funding
and financial rules and controls that apply to each option.
Model corporate agreements and forms that must be executed and completed by
partners, for engagement with the UoN.
5.2.2. Community
The following extract from the Roundtable Discussion Paper (Appendix ix) outlines the thinking around
this need. Its classification as a need finds justification in the type of outcomes the CHRP is expecting
from its academic programmes. The CHRP intends as some of its outcomes, policy briefs. Moreover, as a
human rights institution, it is imperative that it reacts to the human rights needs of the community. In
order to be relevant, the CHRP needs to have a mechanism for engaging the community for purposes of
selecting its research and teaching topics.
Figure 4: External Stakeholder Engagement (Community)
36 5.3. Haki‐Afrika
As adverted to previously, most of the members of the CHRP are members of the Haki organs (regional
and/or local chapter). Haki‐Afrika is the founding organisation of the CHRP and their mandates are
similar. As a result, the Assessment revealed that there is confusion amongst some of the members with
respect to the distinction between the organizations. Some interviewees were unable to identify
themselves within the CHRP structure. Another issue that arose within this discussion was whether the
local chapter of Haki would be dissolved when the CHRP begins functioning as a fully‐fledged entity. The
extract below from the Roundtable Discussion Paper also outlines the thinking behind this concept.
There is an apparent need for Haki‐Afrika (and the local chapter) and the CHRP to be decoupled.
Figure 5: Haki‐Afrika‐CHRP Relationship
37
6. SWOT ANALYSIS
This is a summarised assessment of the CHRP’s capacity to carry out its obligations as an academic
human rights institution.
Table 2: SWOT Analysis
1. Existing teaching capacity.
2. Existing UoN support structure that facilitates
and provides a bulk of the resources, eg;
classrooms, administrative facilities.
3. Solid academic foundation for teaching and
researching human rights.
4. Demand for human rights and peace courses
by, among others, civil society organizations,
government and the private sector.
1. Planning
2. Materials for the documentation centre.
3. Limited programme management skills.
1. Improving the teaching capacity by providing
human rights training to teachers.
2. Take advantage of the extensive knowledge of
the members to set up a database.
3. Take advantage of the good working
relationship of members of the CHRP to put in
place processes, procedures and governance
to guide the CHRP’s coordination role.
4. Greater involvement of the Directorate in
implementation of activities.
1. No firm funding or technical assistance
commitment from donors/partners.
2. No basic office equipment to conduct CHRP
activities.
STRENGTH WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS