Extent and forms of donor proliferation, and coordination in Kenya

Development aid is a mixed blessing for the countries that receive it. It provides much needed resources to build infrastructure, bolster production, provide health care and education, and facilitate a whole range of economic, political, and social processes. At their best, the interactions between donors and recipients foster mutual learning and are themselves a benefit. But development aid has its downside. Some aid comes with strings and "conditionalities" that reduce its effectiveness and leave governments feeling that they have lost their autonomy. The complex funding and administrative arrangements that surround aid projects require governments to devote time to everything from proposal writing to entertaining dignitaries from the home country of the donor. The more projects and donors there are, the more time and effort governments must spend to satisfy these requirements. Observers over the years have pointed out that such effort may affect the state's capacity to carry out its own development responsibilities. Recently they have begun to argue strongly for reforms in the way aid is given, and in particular, to advocate better harmonisation and coordination among all participants in the aid process.