Strategic alliances in United Nations Development Programme Kenya: a study of Amkeni Wakenya Partnerships

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine factors that influenced organizations to partner with Amkeni Wakenya, to establish how partnerships with Amkeni Wakenya affected the organizations and to establish the challenges faced in the partnership with Amkeni Wakenya. The findings provided deeper insight on strategic alliances in United Nations Development Programme Kenya. The study focused on non-profit organizations receiving twelve (12) month grants from UNDP Kenya through the Civil Society Democratic Governance Facility (CSDG) branded Amkeni Wakenya. Random sampling was used to select fifty (50) non-profit organizations out of a population of one hundred (100) grantees. The data collected was analyzed through descriptive statistics which included frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviation, most important factors scoring a higher mean. The findings showed the non-profit organizations’ partnerships with Amkeni Wakenya was due to similarity of goals (mean= 4.3) and opportunity for innovations and visibility prospects (mean=4.08 and 3.92) respectively. However, seeking partnerships with non-tradition groups (mean=2.86) scored lowest. Moreover, the findings indicated that the partnership resulted highly in influencing the organizations financial benefits and technical skills (mean=4.57 and 4.38) respectively. In addition, contractual period to achieve intended goals and objectives was seen as the greatest challenge (mean=3.78). Increasing funding package and capacity building interventions were recommendations made to enhance the partnership. Even so, the partnership strategy was found to be clear to the organizations and mechanisms to monitor, effective.