The Evolution of Kenya’s Drought Management System - Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems for Climate Change - page 205

Table 11.1 Drought management projects in Kenya, 1981-2010
Project Period Geographical coverage a Principal donors

Turkana Rehabilitation
Project (TRP)

1981-present Turkana Governments of Kenya

and the Netherlands
and the European
Union

Turkana Drought
Contingency Planning
Unit (TDCPU)
Inter-departmental
Turkana District
Drought Management
Committee (DDMC)

1987-1992 Turkana Government of Norway

Drought Monitoring
Project (DMP)

1992-1995 Turkana, Isiolo,

Samburu, Marsabit,
Moyale

Government of the
Netherlands

Emergency Drought
Recovery Programme
(EDRP)

1992-1995 Mandera, Marsabit,

Turkana, Tana River
and limited activities
in fi ve other arid
districts

Government of Kenya,
World Bank

Drought Preparedness,
Intervention &
Recovery Programme
(DPIRP)

1995-1999 Turkana, Isiolo,

Samburu, Marsabit,
Moyale

Government of the
Netherlands

Arid Lands Resource
Management Project
(ALRMP)

1996-2010 All 11 arid districts in

phase one; all 28
arid and semi-arid
districts in phase two

Government of Kenya,
World Bank,
European Union

a This column refers to the former districts

With the creation of the ALRMP, the drought management system became more
fi rmly embedded within government. However, since the ALRMP was a project
with a fi nite shelf-life and one which relied on substantial donor support, the drought
management system still lacked a permanent and sustainable institutional base. This
was fi nally achieved in 2011 with the creation of a state corporation, the NDMA.
Table 11.1 provides a summary of the projects briefl y described above.

11.3 Institutionalising the System

11.3.1 Limitations of a Project-Based Approach

Despite the progress made through these various initiatives, the drought management
system had several limitations. First, it was implemented through time-bound proj-
ects; it would not easily be sustained once they had ended. Second, a crisis manage-
ment approach still dominated within government; decision-makers tended to give
droughts serious attention only when they were close to the peak of their intensity.