County Government of Homa Bay successfully concludes three-phase NAVCDP training on Accountability and Grievance Management

By Bernard Oketch

Homa Bay County Government, through the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Development, together with the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), has successfully concluded a three-day capacity-building training for Sub-Committee Social Accountability and Integrity Committees (SAIC), Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) under the supervision of Supervisory and Community-Driven Development Committees (CDDCs), with a strong focus on strengthening community-level grievance redress mechanisms, transparency, accountability and inclusive participation in project implementation.

The training was conducted in three phases, with Homa Bay, Ndhiwa and Rangwe Sub-Counties taking Day One; Rachuonyo North, Rachuonyo South and Rachuonyo East taking Day Two; while Suba North and Suba South participated on Day Three.

A key focus of the training was equipping community structures with practical skills to effectively receive, document, assess, refer, resolve and follow up on grievances arising from NAVCDP-supported interventions.

Participants were trained on the proper use and management of Grievance Logs to ensure that every complaint is formally recorded, acknowledged and tracked from the point of reporting through resolution and closure. Emphasis was placed on timely response to grievances, confidentiality and protection of complainants, proper documentation of actions taken, escalation of unresolved or complex cases to the appropriate level, and providing feedback to affected beneficiaries. The approach is intended to ensure that community concerns are not only heard but handled through a transparent and accountable process that promotes trust between beneficiaries, community structures and project implementers.

The training also covered gender mainstreaming, prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH), as well as compliance with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF). The capacity-building has strengthened the ability of community structures to safeguard beneficiaries, identify and appropriately handle social and environmental concerns, promote inclusive participation and uphold integrity throughout the implementation of NAVCDP-supported interventions across Homa Bay County.