Kenya: Research Consultant - Somalia 2016 Elections Project

Title of Consultancy: Research Consultant – Somalia 2016 Elections Project

Type of Contract: Consultancy

Duty Station: Nairobi

Expected places of travel: Mogadishu and Garowe with travel in South-Central Somalia and Puntland

Supervisors: Programme Development Advisor

Closing date: 23rd October 2014

Saferworld is an independent non-governmental organisation that works to prevent and reduce violent conflict and promote cooperative approaches to security. Saferworld works with civil society, governments and international organisations to encourage and support effective policies and practices through advocacy, research and policy development, and through supporting the development of local capacities and structures.

Saferworld has been working in Africa since 1997, with a primary focus upon East Africa and the Horn region and has well-established programmes in Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and Sudan. Since 2004, Saferworld, with the support of the European Commission, has led a process designed to establish legitimate and representative Non-State Actor (NSA) structures that are able to engage in policy dialogue which culminated in the formal establishment of NSA platforms in the three Somali regions in 2008.

Saferworld is currently engaged in a one-year EU-funded programme to build the organisational and advocacy capacity of the NSA platform to engage on critical peacebuilding and statebuilding issues across Somalia. Both the Federal Government of Somalia and its international partners are committed to popular, democratic elections in Somalia in 2016. This represents a considerable shift away from the previous transfers of power, which have used clan-selection processes to appoint parliaments which have in turn elected a President. Yet with just two years left before the elections are expected to take place, a number of key tasks vital to the success of any electoral process remain pending, and there has been precious little discussion about the risks to peace that delays or a badly managed process could pose.

Given the risks attached to the electoral process, Saferworld is commissioning a research project that responds to the need for comprehensive data and analysis on the views from a statistically significant cross-section of Somali society on the conflict risks posed by the proposed 2016 elections. There is a critical need to both gather this data and be able to present the findings of such research to the Somali authorities and the international community to inform current and future policy and programming around the elections.

Key Objective of Consultancy:

The overall objective of the research project is to examine the conflict risks posed by the current state of readiness of Somalia for elections in 2016.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

· Review the theoretical understanding of the necessary security, social, economic and political context and institutional requirements for elections in fragile and conflict-affected states, in order for such processes to contribute to peace

· Conduct research into the conflict risks posed by the 2016 elections and identify recommendations to address these.

· The research should identify a selection of key risks posed by holding elections in 2016, including the risks posed by the process itself, risks attached to the impact of election preparations and the impact of the process on localised conflict and ongoing peacebuilding and reconciliation initiatives identified by key stakeholders and broader sections of the population.

· Develop recommendations to the Somali authorities and the international community on the preparations for elections.

· Identify popular perceptions and the extent of understanding of the 2016 electoral process and the relevance, relationship to and scope of input/influence into the process by citizens.

Research Methodology

Working with Saferworld, the consultant will devise a research methodology that will serve to collect the necessary data to answer core research questions around the conflict risks attached to the state of readiness for public elections in Somalia. The research methodology should be sensitive to political, social and security constraints and should entail both a quantitative and qualitative dimension. With input from Saferworld, the methodology should set out the scope of the research, purpose and objective, set out core data requirements and knowledge gaps, data capture tools and linkages between data collection and analysis phases.

The methodology will include:

· A detailed literature/desk review: Guided by the research objectives and following initial consultations with Saferworld, a literature review setting out the broader challenges posed by holding elections in fragile and conflict affected states and the application of these to the Somali social and political context for elections is to be undertaken with documentation of literature reviewed that can be shared with Saferworld. The literature review will inform the finalisation of the research questions and the methodological approach, including setting out a taxonomy of conflict risks.

· Validation of the taxonomy of issues: The consultant will hold a series of Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with a range of identified stakeholders in Mogadishu, Nairobi, Garowe, including government officials, national and international civil society, donors, UN and other international officials.

· Public Surveying:The consultant will design and implement a public survey of views using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools in Puntland and South Central Somalia.

· Validation of Findings with Civil Society: The findings of the KIIs and survey will be validated through focus group discussions (FGDs) with civil society in Somalia will be organised in conjunction with Saferworld’s civil society partners in South Central Somalia and Puntland, SOSCENSA and PUNSAA.

· Final Report:The consultant shall be responsible for drafting and producing a precise final report (maximum 30 pages excluding annexes) written in simple and clear English. The draft report shall be shared with Saferworld for comments and inputs for inclusion in the final report by the consultant. The report should have the following format:

o Cover page

o Table of contents, Executive Summary (maximum 3 pages) and main report including; findings of the study, conclusions and recommendations.

o Annexes, including: Terms of Reference, List of persons interviewed, List of literature and documents reviewed, List of locations visited

Key Deliverables:

Detailed literature reviewResearch methodology and data collection tools devisedData collection and analysisDraft written reportFinal written report

Timeframe:

The anticipated timeframe for the project is:

· November 2014 – Project start

· Late November 2014 – Completion of Literature Review

· Early January 2015 – Draft report for Saferworld review

· End of January 2015 – Final Report

Key Competencies:

· Demonstrable experience conducting action-research in conflict affected states.

· In depth knowledge of Somali political and social context, preferably with experience conducting research on Somali socio-political or conflict related dynamics.

· Demonstrable technical capacity in quantitative and qualitative research tools, methodology and analysis deployed for data collection for social, conflict or political research/analysis purposes.

· Capacity to deploy data collectors across South Central Somalia and Puntland.

· Experience supporting research in insecure environments and negotiating associated security risks.

· Capacity to work in a team and with the input/guidance from multiple expert sources.

· Strong academic background, ideally holding a relevant research degree.

· Ability to work in a team with minimal supervision and with cultural sensitivity

· Willingness to travel to Mogadishu and Garowe.

Management of Consultant:

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Development Advisor.

Additional Key relationships:

· Saferworld’s Regional Policy and Advocacy Advisor

· Saferworld Somalia Team

· Somalia South Central Non-State Actors

· Puntland Non-State Actors Association

Anticipated Budget:

The anticipated budget for this project is $60,000. Saferworld invites applicants to provide a Scope of Work for the research detailing how they would fulfil the requirements of the Terms of Reference.

Applications from qualified individuals or organisations are welcome to apply.

All interested applicants should submit:

I. Scope of Work and budget with approximate costs of services for the above research.

II. A capacity statement, stating their suitability and experience in undertaking action research of this nature alongside how they propose conducting this work.

III. Curriculum Vitae of no more than three pages in length (per CV in cases of team applications).

Applicants are requested to submit their proposals to Joyce Kamau at recruitment@saferworld.org.uk. Please use the subject heading: Somalia Elections Research Consultancy