Terms of Reference: Consultancy to Conduct an End of Programme Evaluation for the Hunger Response in Kenya.

1.About Oxfam Oxfam is an international confederation of 21 organizations working in over 60 countries worldwide seeking to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice around the world. Oxfam is determined to change that world by mobilizing the power of people against poverty. Around the world, Oxfam works to find practical, innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty and thrive. We save lives and help rebuild livelihoods when crisis strikes. And we campaign so that the voices of the poor influence the local and global decisions that affect them. In all we do, Oxfam works with partners, public and private sector institutions alongside vulnerable women and men to end the injustices that cause poverty. Read more about Oxfam from https://kenya.oxfam.org/ 2.About the programme Communities in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, facing increasingly frequent and severe cycles of droughts and floods. In the last decade alone, the region has endured three devastating droughts (2011/12, 2016/17, and 2021/23), alongside increasingly severe floods. These extreme weather events leave communities with little to no time to recover, eroding their resilience and deepening vulnerabilities. As a multi-mandated organization, Oxfam in Kenya is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between humanitarian response and long-term development, ensuring that immediate relief efforts contribute to lasting resilience. A comprehensive approach—integrating humanitarian systems strengthening, tax justice and accountable governance, women’s rights, and sustainable natural resource management—is essential to addressing both the immediate and structural drivers of vulnerability. To achieve this, Oxfam in Kenya, in the Hunger Response Strategy committed to focus on two key objectives: Objective 1: Providing immediate lifesaving, life-sustaining, and dignity-upholding assistance in response to food and water insecurity, disease outbreaks, communal conflict, and protection risks driven by climate-induced disasters (droughts and floods) and exacerbated by inequalities. Objective 2: Contributing to addressing the structural drivers of vulnerability to climate crises and promoting equitable investments in recovery and resilience. This involves linking Oxfam’s work to sustainable access to water, social protection, sustainable livelihoods, gender justice, tax justice and accountable governance, and natural resource management. Strengthening communities’ capacity to demand sustainable and durable solutions to cyclical disasters will be central to this approach. 3. Programme Partners Oxfam works with local and national partners to ensure a coordinated, rights-based response that not only mitigates ongoing crises but also accelerates recovery and builds resilience against future climate shocks. While Oxfam in Kenya was responsible for the overall management of the program, implementation was driven by a strong network of local partners who brought critical contextual knowledge and expertise. These partners played a central role in identifying specific communities, community engagement and location identification for interventions in coordination with County Steering Groups, ensuring that activities align with local needs, complement existing initiatives, advocacy efforts and addressing key gaps. A networked, multi-county approach will foster collaboration, facilitate knowledge exchange, and strengthen advocacy by enabling partners to speak with a unified voice. The program evaluation will focus on hard-to-reach communities across sampled counties out of the eight Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties—Garissa, Isiolo, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, and Wajir—prioritizing those in IPC 3 and 4 and flood-prone areas like northern Tana River. Key implementing partners from the ASAL Humanitarian Network provided technical expertise and ensured that interventions were locally led, relevant, and sustainable. Strategic decisions on coverage and resource allocation were made in consultation with the AHN’s Steering Committee, while coordination with other humanitarian and development actors will ensure complementarity and avoid duplication. 4. Purpose and Scope The End of Program Evaluation for Hunger Response in Kenya will provide the country management team, programme teams and key stakeholders with critical insights on programme performance. The OECD –DAC methodology/criteria will guide the End of Program Evaluation and will enquire on the following areas, i.e. 1. Relevance, 2. Effectiveness, 3. Efficiency, 4. coherence, 5. Efficiency, 6. Impact and 7. Sustainability The findings will be crucial in providing relevant evidence to support the review of the current Oxfam Country Strategy, identify lessons learned, adjust interventions where necessary, and generate evidence-based recommendations to inform future decision-making The primary audience for this evaluation includes internal stakeholders, namely: -Oxfam Country management team - -Oxfam in Kenya’s programme and humanitarian staff -Implementing partners drawn from the urban and ASAL locations. - Oxfam affiliates -Other relevant stakeholders, including officials in the County and National Government. To ensure a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation, the study will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. The successful consultant(s) should adopt participatory methodologies in evaluation grounded on feminist principles. In its work, Oxfam seeks to apply a Feminist approach to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (FMEAL) .In doing so, it prioritizes seven key foundations, including: - Understanding feminist MEAL as an approach, - Positioning MEAL as an integral part of social transformation, - Shifting power to participants in evaluations, - Understanding the role of the evaluator as a facilitator, - Valuing collective, context-driven knowledge generation, - Providing a learning orientation to evaluative exercises, and Rooting feminist MEAL in safe programming, guided by ‘do no harm’. 5. Evaluation of the Hunger Response Programme using the OECD-DAC Criteria 5.1 Objectives of the evaluation: Evaluate the interventions according to the OECD criteria which include relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, sustainability and impact: Assess the effectiveness of the response in meeting the immediate food security/WASH, Protection and Gender needs of targeted populations. Determine the relevance and appropriateness of the design in addressing the needs of the affected populations and the alignment with county and national response strategies. Evaluate the efficiency and coverage of program implementation (including timeliness, resource allocations and reach). Examine the coherence of program’s interventions; assess how well it aligned with other humanitarian efforts, government strategies and partners’ initiatives to avoid duplication and enhance coordination. Assess the effectiveness of the programme’s implementation—including Local Humanitarian Leadership (LHL), the Charter for Change, and the Grand Bargain—with particular attention to shared power, localized decision-making, and capacity strengthening. This includes identifying elements that likely contributed to observed or potential impacts—while acknowledging that measuring long-term outcomes may not be feasible within the current evaluation timeframe. However, the evaluation will focus on plausible contribution pathways to impact. Evaluate the humanitarian-development nexus within the response – assessing whether and how humanitarian and development actors and programs worked together to maximize impact and enable greater synergy between the two pillars. Lessons learned and best practices to inform future responses and explore opportunities to strengthen linkages with resilience-building efforts where feasible. Generate recommendations based on evaluations’ findings. 6. Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement -Assess the roles, contributions, and perspectives of key stakeholders—including Oxfam in Kenya, implementing partners, government agencies, donors, and affected communities—while examining the enabling and hindering factors that influenced programme implementation -stakeholder coordination, participation, and feedback mechanisms to ensure inclusivity and accountability. -Generate recommendations to strengthen collaboration, partnerships, and community ownership in future crisis response initiatives. 7. Methodology The end of programme evaluation will adopt a mixed-methods approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods to ensure a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of Oxfam’s Hunger Response in Kenya. The evaluation will utilize descriptive analysis for Quantitative survey and Focus Group discussions, and Key Informative Interviews for Qualitative data collection. 8.Research Questions Key Questions per criterion: Relevance: To what extent has the program responded to the priority needs of the affected population in relation to sustaining food systems and resilient future-proof livelihoods, WASH, Livelihoods, Gender and Protection needs? How were gender-specific needs identified and incorporated in program design and delivery? How did the interventions contribute to long-term resilience and reduced vulnerability to future climatic shocks To what extent have project participants been appropriately identified and targeted? What criteria and approaches were used to make beneficiary selection conflict sensitive? Is the Programme consistent with the strategies and priorities of the stakeholders including local authorities, donors, and humanitarian agencies? How well does the programme adapt to the changing circumstances (financial and situational) and to the evolving needs within the areas of intervention? Effectiveness: To what extent did the program/ interventions achieve the intended outcomes (i.e.: in terms of food consumption, diet diversity, WASH outcomes, etc.)? were there unintended changes (both positive and negative)? What factors (internal and external) contributed to or hindered the achievement of the intended and/or unintended results? Are the achieved results contributing to the changes in practices, behaviours, systems and other? To what extent did the intervention influence or strengthen governance structures (WASH /social protection) The effectiveness of the interventions to improve accountable governance in (Social protection/WASH) service delivery (e.g.in equitable budget allocation, use/ transparency, policy engagement, end user engagement) How has working through local partners contributed to project effectiveness? Efficiency: To what extent has the project plan been delivered? Were there any operational bottlenecks that affected the delivery of the strategy implementation? How were they managed? How has the project collaborated with other actors and interventions to ensure better project performance (related specifically to cost and time)? Have the funds and resources been used in the most adequate way to achieve the changes proposed? Which strategic/programmatic choices were most cost-effective across the key sectors of the programme? Sustainability: How has the response contributed to strengthening people’s ability to cope with future food insecurity, Gender and Protection and/or WASH related shocks? How have programmatic interventions contributed to medium- and long-term resilience outcomes for people in areas targeted? For e.g. how do WASH and social protection interventions contribute to Gender Justice objectives? How did the project’s design and delivery link emergency response and longer-term food security, WASH, and livelihoods? What lessons can be drawn to improve the design of future emergency responses to better integrate sustainability considerations where possible? To what extent did the interventions strengthen local systems or capacities (especially government-led and community-based systems)? Were there mechanisms for exit or transition part of design and were these implemented? Coherence: Is there synergy between the interventions implemented by Oxfam and other interventions carried out by the government/ other NGOs? How well was the response coordinated, within Oxfam, and with government and other local actors? Were there synergies or duplications between the program and other programs at the national level? To what extent did the program align with national/county policies, humanitarian coordination mechanisms and donor strategies? How adequately did the response integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender, protection, complaints and feedback, advocacy and inclusion? Participation and empowerment: To what extent have target communities participated in decision-making processes and the different phases of the response/ program? Have the strategies been adapted to ensure the active participation of women in all the phases of the response/ program? 9. Data Collection Methods To ensure robustness and validity, the evaluation will use multiple data collection methods, including: Quantitative Data Collection: Household surveys to measure food security, nutritional status, WASH outcomes and economic well-being. Triangulation with Secondary Data Government data sources (District Health Information System (DHIS) and county plans will be triangulated to assess disease trends and coverage., NDMA reports etc. Qualitative Data Collection : Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with Oxfam staff, implementing partners, government officials, and community leaders. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with affected communities to gather lived experiences and perceptions. Case Studies to highlight success stories and lessons learned. 10.Ethical considerations The consultant will put in place measures to ensure data collection adheres to all necessary ethics and guidelines provided by local laws on data protection and ‘Do no Harm’ standards, Oxfam safe programming and feminist principles. 11. Key Activities and Deliverables The evaluation will start upon signing of the contract between Oxfam and the successful consultant (s/ firm) or an otherwise agreed upon date. The exact due dates for all deliverables will be finalized with Oxfam prior to submitting the inception report, so long as the dates continue to fall within the broad start and finish dates of the consultancy. Oxfam envisions the review as a collaborative undertaking between itself, partner staff in Kenya and the successful consultant(s). We expect that the selected consultant(s) will engage with and provide feedback on a continual basis. On our part, we commit to collaborating with the selected individual/team and to providing sufficient time for a back-and-forth approach. Evaluation phase Process step Number of days Planning and preparation phase Conduct desk review of key documents such as project’s Log Frame, MEAL plan, endline/ evaluation reports other and prepare the inception report (Including sampling) - 3 days Develop data collection tools (capturing the OECD criteria) - 3 days Data collection tools are reviewed by key persons - 2 days Update data collection tools based on feedback - 1 day Prepare data collection plan and logistics based on the methodology (coding of the tools, preparation of beneficiaries' list, coordinating/ scheduling FGDs groups per area, KIIs scheduling, etc.) - 1 day Train data collectors - 1 day Data Collection and Analysis Conduct quantitative and qualitative data collection - 10 days Supervise and assure the quality of data collection / Supervise data entry / note taking Ongoing (during data collection) Perform data cleaning and prepare clean data sets and notes Ongoing (during data collection) Plus 3 more days Conduct Data analysis - 10 days Reporting, copy editing, publication and validation Report write-up - 10 days Country team/ key persons review the first draft of the report and provides feedback - 2 days Update the report based on the review feedback and on the outcomes of the interpretation workshop and share the final version - 2 days 11.1 Inception Report The inception phase will begin with a thorough desk review of existing project documents and current OCS and hunger response strategy. Based on this analysis, the inception report will include: List of literature materials to be reviewed. Roles and responsibilities of team members executing the work, Data collection tools (a survey and supporting qualitative tools), Proposed methodology Updated budget, A proposed schedule of meetings with key Oxfam staff to check progress and provide updates throughout all phases of the work, and A detailed table of contents for the final report In-country data collection can only begin after Oxfam approves the inception report. Final Report The final report will provide detailed information on the key objectives, learnings, and Potential impact of the Hunger Response in Kenya. It will offer a comprehensive analysis of the program’s effectiveness, challenges, and outcomes while identifying key lessons to inform future interventions. The report shall provide clear documentation and findings, focusing on: Executive summary (2-3 pages) Introduction Purpose and objectives Methodology Findings Conclusion and recommendations Annexes to the Final Report The final report shall also include a number of annexes, which will provide context to the report’s findings and recommendations. Suggested annexes include: Terms of Reference for the final review. Final review inception report. Data collection tools, including survey and qualitative tools. List of individuals and stakeholder groups consulted. List of supporting documentation reviewed. Knowledge products / infographics highlighting key findings from the final report. All raw data (quantitative data file, transcripts from In-depth Interviews, FGDs etc should be submitted to Oxfam in Kenya Offices in Nairobi for reference and future use Summary of Key findings in a format agreed upon by the consulting team to be used as a quick and engaging way of key finding 12.Profile of the Review Team The consultancy can include different team members. Key competencies of the team include: Experience conducting evaluations in the humanitarian sector. Advanced degree in Evaluation, International Development, Food Security, WASH and Nutrition, Humanitarian Action, or a related field. Strong subject matter expertise in food security, WASH, protection livelihoods, and cross-cutting themes such as inclusion, gender, accountability to affected populations, localization, and climate Justice. Experience working in ASAL counties. Expertise in one or more areas: Gender Equality, Disability Inclusion, Climate Justice, Accountability to Affected Populations, and Localization. High-level proficiency in quantitative and qualitative research, analysis, and report writing. Experience applying feminist MEAL principles and practices. Ability to engage and collaborate with stakeholders at multiple levels in diverse contexts. Expertise in social media analysis for communication and policy influence. Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills in English. Experience in stakeholder mapping and analysis. Proficiency in participatory methods for data collection and analysis in program evaluations. Cultural and contextual sensitivity in data collection and analysis. 13. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 1. Oxfam MEAL Team Provide oversight and coordination of the End of Programme evaluation process, ensuring alignment with Oxfam’s MEAL frameworks and humanitarian standards. Facilitate access to data from previous assessments, monitoring reports, and relevant documentation. Review and provide feedback on preliminary findings, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities. Support in dissemination of findings internally and externally, ensuring that learnings inform future programming. 2. Oxfam Technical Leads Offer sector-specific expertise (e.g., food security, livelihoods, WASH, gender, and social protection), Partnership and Local Humanitarian Leadership to contextualize findings. Ensure integration of cross-cutting themes such as gender equality, climate resilience, localization, and accountability to affected populations. Support engagement with key stakeholders, including local partners, government agencies, and humanitarian actors. Provide feedback on technical aspects of the evaluation to enhance relevance and applicability. Ensure findings are translated into programmatic adjustments for improved humanitarian response strategies. 3. Consultant Develop and implement the evaluation methodology using mixed method approaches and participatory methods. Lead data collection, analysis, and reporting, ensuring methodological rigor. Engage with stakeholders, including Oxfam staff, implementing partners, and affected communities, to gather diverse perspectives. Triangulate data from multiple sources to ensure accuracy and reliability of findings. Draft the final evaluation report, including clear findings, objectives, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations. Present findings to Oxfam and key stakeholders, ensuring clarity and practical application of insights. Ensure ethical considerations in data collection, including informed consent, confidentiality, and do-no-harm principles. 14. TAX AND VAT ARRANGEMENTS Oxfam will deduct withholding tax from the professional fees which will be in conformity with the prevailing government rates and submit the same to the Government of Kenya. 15. BID REQUIREMENTS Consultant(s) who meet the above requirements should submit bids, which at minimum include the following: Suitability statement, including commitment to availability for the entire assignment. Brief statement of the proposed study methodology including a detailed work plan. Detailed financial proposal, including daily costs. Information on the team composition and level of effort of each team member – include updated curriculum vitae that clearly spell out qualifications and experience. Contacts of three organizations that have recently contracted the consultant to carry out relevant study. Samples of similar and/or related work done previously N/B: The entire bid should be a MAXIMUM OF fifteen (15) PAGES exclusive of CVs and Budgets. Bids not meeting this requirement will not be considered. The budget /financial proposal must indicate all-inclusive costs for conducting the survey. 16. REPORTING LINES The consultant shall work under the supervision of Oxfam’s MEAL Team with a strong liaison with the humanitarian technical leads.

Oxfam Kenya invites individuals who meet the criteria to submit an Expression of Interest that clearly articulates the consultant(s) understanding of the terms of reference, and methodology for executing the work including key deliverables and tentative budget should and clearly indicated “End of Programme Evaluation For Hunger Response Hunger ” Expression of Interests shall be sent to [email protected], no later than close of business on 20/08/2025. Only applicants who qualify will be contacted.