Utafiti Sera Convening to Facilitate the Uptake of Research Evidence

Final Utafiti Sera Convening (4th Utafiti Sera Convening)

As the 3rd phase of the project draws to a close, The Urban Governance house plans to host a Final House Forum/convening to disseminate the house key learnings and practical tools and guidelines. This forum will also forge a wayward for adoption and advancing of the Social Safeguards and Evidence Uptake in Infrastructure Development in Kenya. Special attention will
be given to the integration of evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM), stakeholder engagement, and the protection of socio-economic rights for project-affected persons.

Overall Convening Objective

The overall objective of the convening will be to consolidate and advance the integration of social safeguards in infrastructure development in Kenya by disseminating practical frameworks, deepening multi-stakeholder dialogue, and enhancing institutional uptake, particularly within policy and academic spaces.

Specific Objectives

1. To disseminate key learnings and frameworks which anchors social safeguards in infrastructural development in Kenya.
2. To crystalize the process of social safeguards to infrastructural projects and what it would entail in practice through the review of the proposed guidelines.
3. To sustain the academy discourse on the integration of social safeguards in the teaching and examination of technical courses like engineering at the public universities’.

Expected Outcomes

1. Increased awareness and commitment among agencies and stakeholders to institutionalize homegrown social safeguards and participatory approaches in infrastructure development.
2. Clear strategies for embedding EIDM and social safeguards in policy and practice.
3. Roadmap for sustaining and scaling project innovations beyond the life of the project.

Target Participants

The conference will bring together a diverse group of approximately 50 in-person participants, including members of the Utafiti Sera House such as researchers, practitioners, and community leaders, key government agencies i.e., Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, and the National Land Commission. Civil society organizations, social movements, and academic institutions, including curriculum developers, will contribute their perspectives alongside the house members. The event will further engage international partners and donors, legal and policy experts specializing in land, housing, and infrastructure development.