Tana River and UNDP open joint review of Advancing Food Systems Project
Key points
- Monitoring mission opened with a courtesy call on Acting County Secretary Mwanajuma Hiribae in Hola.
- UNDP Kenya Project Officer Kevin Mutuku said the review is to test delivery and harvest lessons.
- County CECs for public administration and environment joined talks on accountability and next-phase design.
- Project is UNDP-supported and implemented with Tana River County amid recurring food and climate shocks.
"Evidence-based monitoring" is how UNDP Kenya Project Officer Kevin Mutuku described the point of a joint county–UN review now under way on the Advancing Food Systems Project in Tana River, Eastleigh Voice reported. The mission is scoring progress, naming bottlenecks and deciding where extra support should go as the county again faces food insecurity and climate shocks.
Work began with a courtesy call on Acting County Secretary Mwanajuma Hiribae at county headquarters in Hola. County officers and UNDP staff sat together to weigh performance to date and sketch the next implementation phase. Hiribae said the county remains committed to climate-resilient agriculture and livelihoods and will keep partnering so programmes match communities hit by shifting weather.
Who is in the room
Chief of Staff Maurice Osano stressed that county–development partner links are still central to strengthening food systems. County Executive Committee Members Abdullahi Hanti (Public Administration) and Mathew Bwoya (Environment and Climate Change) said the review should measure performance, tighten accountability and lock in lessons so future interventions last.
Officials said findings will shape the next programme phase: map gaps, judge impact of activities already running, and prioritise interventions that still work when rains fail or floods arrive. The Advancing Food Systems Project is supported by UNDP and run with the Tana River County Government.
What residents should demand from the report
A public summary with ward-level outputs, budget burn rates and unfinished milestones would turn the mission into more than a closed-door workshop. Agriculture desk: Agriculture.
Without published indicators, "resilience" stays a slogan while pastoral and farming households absorb the next dry spell alone. County assembly agriculture committees can require a written briefing within 30 days of the mission's close, with at least 5 measurable indicators (hectares supported, households reached, water points, seed distribution, post-harvest losses).
Tana River's food calendar is unforgiving: when floods cut road access or drought empties riverine farms, delayed partner reviews cost seasons. Publishing the Hola mission scorecard in 2026 would let farmers judge whether Advancing Food Systems is more than a donor label.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of the Tana River–UNDP monitoring mission. Official project documents control budgets, indicators and timelines.
