The Leave No One Behind coalition in Kenya was founded in 2018. Country co-leads are VSO Kenya and Plan Kenya. The SDGs Kenya Forum is the chair of the national steering committee.

The country coalition has delivered a project pilot, focusing on women, people with disabilities, young people, farmers, elderly people and slum-dwellers. The scaled-up project aimed to amplify the voices of marginalised groups, including women, people with disabilities, youth, and grassroots civil society organisations, in the implementation of the SDGs. It targeted SDG 10 to reduce inequalities within and between countries, with a particular focus on indicator 10.2, which seeks to empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, place of origin, religion, or economic status. It also targeted SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, ensure access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Within 16, 16.6 focusses on government spending within budget and satisfaction with government services, and indicator 16.7 highlights representation in public institutions and inclusive decision-making.   The Kenya initiative also explored possible collaboration with Partners for Review (P4R) to influence the recognition of non-state data. It worked with LNOB initiatives in other countries, including Nepal. The initiative aimed to reach 3000 people, specifically 750 people with disabilities in each of four counties (Embu, Makueni, Taita Taveta and Siaya), to identify the drivers and extent of marginalisation. A collaborative approach was adopted, involving key stakeholders such as civil society organisations, disability organisations, religious institutions, local media, and government institutions such as the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and the National Gender and Equality Commission. The collective voices from these dialogues played a significant role in influencing Kenya’s voluntary national reporting to the UN. Working with other partners and the National Bureau of Statistics, the coalition conducted joint case studies on the growing use of citizen-generated data in Kenya. 

Some key achievements include: 

– Providing capacity building sessions to 28 grassroots CSOs and 66 individuals in Siaya and Makueni counties on various aspects of the SDGs, participatory approaches, county budgeting processes, citizen-generated data, and accountability mechanisms.  

– Disseminated research findings on barriers and opportunities for inclusion of persons with disabilities in VNR mechanisms, reaching 60 people directly (including 38 persons with disabilities) and 200 people indirectly, including members of local civil society organisations.  

At the national level, our achievements include: 

– Increased knowledge capacity of persons with disabilities and grassroots CSOs on Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) and community-generated data approaches.

The main beneficiaries were marginalised groups and grassroots civil society organisations, especially persons with disabilities, through their organisations. The project also empowered disabled people’s organisations at the local level to amplify their voices and participate in local development processes. In addition, stakeholders within the coalition contributed to the implementation of the project in the targeted districts.  

Looking ahead, the country coalition aims to undertake activities at the national government level to further promote inclusivity and participation. 

Current members (June 2024) are:

  • ActionAid Kenya
  • ADRA Kenya
  • Caritas Kenya
  • CBM Kenya
  • Citizen Rural Network
  • Development Initiatives Africa Office
  • Humanity and Inclusion
  • International Federation of Red Cross in Kenya
  • Islamic Relief Kenya
  • Plan International Kenya (co-lead)
  • SDGs Kenya Forum (head of steering committee)
  • United Disabled Persons in Kenya (UDPK)
  • VSO Kenya (co-lead)