The Evolution of Kenya’s Drought Management System - Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems for Climate Change - page 213

11.5.4 The Process of Building Institutions

Building a drought management system takes time, commitment and the sustained
provision of resources. From the fi rst project design in 1985 to the creation of the
NDMA in 2011, the Kenyan system took 26 years. It was well-resourced during this
period. It would be optimistic to expect it could have been done much faster or with
fewer resources.
Long-term commitment by governments, donors, communities and other stake-
holders, with critical contributions by individual champions within each of these
institutions, was an important part of the process. The development of the drought
management system in Kenya is also a case study in successful aid. The European
Union, for example, has been a constant ally since the beginning and remains one of
the NDMA's closest partners.

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