The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Kenya and East Africa (USAID/KEA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) as part of its planning process for a new program aimed at strengthening citizen confidence and trust in Kenya’s electoral institutions and processes. This program, covering the 2027 electoral cycle, seeks input from stakeholders to refine program outcomes and partnership structures. The program is intended to support the Kenyan government, civil society, and other stakeholders in ensuring free, fair, and peaceful elections.

USAID/KEA has identified four primary outcomes for the program: free and fair elections, peaceful elections, full citizen participation, and inclusive electoral processes. The first outcome focuses on enhancing accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of electoral institutions and processes while fostering acceptance of election results. The second aims to strengthen early warning and response mechanisms to mitigate election-related violence. The third seeks to scale up civic engagement and voter education to promote informed electoral participation and issue-based voting. The fourth outcome is to increase the representation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups in electoral and leadership roles.

Cross-cutting considerations include gender, youth engagement, environmental compliance, climate risk assessment, and conflict sensitivity. USAID/KEA is particularly interested in partnerships or consortia that leverage local and international expertise to achieve program goals, ensure sustainability, and foster Kenyan ownership of transformational change.

Stakeholders are invited to respond to specific questions regarding partnership arrangements, comparative advantages of local and international organizations, and the evaluation of proposed program outcomes. Responses are due by December 20, 2024, and must adhere to specified formatting and submission guidelines. The input provided will help inform the design of a future funding opportunity, though submission does not constitute a commitment from USAID or confer an advantage in subsequent solicitations.

For more details, stakeholders can access the RFI document on the USAID website, Grants.gov, or SAM.gov, or contact USAID/KEA via the provided email address.