An Island of Success in a Sea of Failure? The MDGs and Sauri Millennium Village in Kenya Amrik Kalsi MBA: Master of Business Administration MSc: Master of Science in Management and Organisational Development MA: Master of Arts A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2015 The School of Social Science Abstract For a number of decades, foreign aid-supported poverty reduction and development concepts, and policies and programmes developed by development agencies and experts implemented since the 1950s, have produced limited short-term and sometimes contradictory results in Kenya. In response to this problem in 2000, the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was in many respects a tremendous achievement, gaining unprecedented international support. The MDGs model has since become the policy of choice to reduce poverty and hunger in developing countries by half between 2000 and 2015, being implemented by the Millennium Village Project (MVP) ‘Big-Push’ model, seemingly designed as a ‘bottom-up’ approach. Poverty reduction and sustainable development are key priorities for the Kenyan government and the Kenya Vision 2030 blueprint project. The MDGs process, enacted as the Millennium Village Project (MVP) in Kenya for poverty reduction, is now at the centre of intense debate within Kenya. It is widely recognised that foreign aid maintained MVP and sustainable development through the UN and local efforts, especially in their present form, have largely failed to address poverty in Kenya. Furthermore, not enough was known about the achievements of the MVP model in real- world situations when the MVP model interventions were applied in the Sauri village. The aim of this thesis was to learn from the Sauri Millennium Village implementations in agriculture and non-agriculture, education and health programmes. They are all inter-related and could assist in developing a more comprehensive and practical strategy for the Kenya Vision 2030 blue print for poverty reduction in Kenya. Further, it was most important to know whether the MVP approach worked before the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Kenya Vision 2030 committed significant funds in replicating the MVP development framework in eight other villages in Kenya. This research examined the case of Sauri using ethnographic mixed methods involving qualitative semi-structured interviews with residents and key informants to explore the impact of the MVP. The specific focus was on the processes employed in implementing the MVP approach, and its effects and outcomes, having regard for the MDGs paradigm’s truth claims about poverty and poverty reduction in Sauri, the voices of the villagers, and an understanding of the experiences of those engaged in, or affected by, the MVP. The major findings indicated that the MVP to some extent had empowered Sauri villagers in agricultural and non-agriculture, education and health programmes with significant foreign aid funding. At the same time some challenges emerged, due in the main to a lack of understanding of i the complexity of poverty, and the traditional structures at village levels where new MVP power structures were introduced. Further, the absence of a clear exit strategy in Sauri put the sustainability of the MVP in question, as well as the veracity of implementation of MDGs in other villages in Kenya, as stipulated in the Kenya Vision 2030. Such reservations made other future development programmes, potentially problematic. As the current MDGs expire in 2015, this study contributes towards a richer understanding of the dimensions of poverty, sustainability and foreign aid from the villagers’ perspectives, valuing their knowledge, priorities, and the outcomes of implementation of the SMV project. The thesis main contribution stems from presenting an account of how the villagers themselves assess and experience the interventions, and this constitutes a valuable addition to development debates. Similarly, the study adds valuable insight that the SMVP has replaced existing power structures and that it is thus - despite all its self-proclaimed descriptions as grassroots and bottom-up - another top- down development intervention. In addition, the study provides valuable lessons about the implications of time-bound short-term MVP development approaches with a strong focus on the end goal, recognising that insufficient attention has been paid to two main aspects of sustainability – namely, post-implementation administration and operational sustainability. The study adds value by including the voices of the villagers in the MVP agenda for poverty reduction, and in the end contributing to the MVP’s re-evaluation and improvement, suitability and sustainability, at national levels and in the global debate regarding the shaping of the Sustainable Development Goals. ii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iii Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. iv Acknowledgements This thesis has been completed with assistance and contributions from many individuals and institutions. This thesis would not have been possible without the cooperation of villagers in Sauri Millennium Village. Firstly, my thanks to every respondent and member of the Sauri communities that I met, who not only accepted me and welcomed me into their beautiful communities, but who also shared their lives with me. This thesis is about their aspirations, experiences and knowledge, which they wholeheartedly shared with me. I also wish to thank the District Commissioner of Sauri and the Millennium Development Goals Kenya National Coordinator Mr G. M. Mailu for ethical clearance; the Millennium Development Goals Centre in Nairobi, the Team Leader of the Millennium Village Project, District Officers and the Chief for introductions, assistance and logistical arrangements in Sauri. I would like to thank the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Kenya Vision 2030; the Ministry of Gender and Social Services; the Ministry of Agriculture and the United Nations Development Programme Country Director for open access to their documents and meetings. This thesis would not have been possible if it were not for the professional guidance and intellectual encouragement of my advisors, Associate Professor Kristen Lyons, Professor David Trigger, Professor Adil Khan, Dr Fernanda Claudio, Dr Helen Johnson, Dr Jonathan Prangnell and Dr David Rowland for their unlimited advice, support and constructive input throughout my study at the University of Queensland. A special thanks to Joy Campbell for proofreading assistance and Keitha Brown for administrative support. To my wife Martha, children, and lovely grandchildren Eleni, Zuri, Austin, Xavier, Ram, Jordan and others to come I offer my warmest gratitude for their continued support and understanding while I was doing my research. Finally, thank you to Professors Arturo Escobar, Mark Hobart and Serge Latouche for your encouragement and confidence in my research topic. v Keywords Poverty, Sustainability, Foreign aid, MDGs/ MVP, Kenya Vision 2030, Sauri Kenya. Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 940302, International Aid and Development, 70% ANZSRC code: 160804, Rural Sociology, 20% ANZSRC code: 940303, International Organisations, 10% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 9403, International Relations, 80% FoR code: 1608, Sociology, 20% vi This thesis is dedicated to approximately 1.02 billion people (One-sixth of humanity) living in poverty and hunger every day, the majority about half a billion in sub-Saharan Africa. Photo: Author vii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................