Donor cuts bite as World Vision Kenya slashes budget in recently unveiled 2026 -2030 National Strategic Plan

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On Monday in Nairobi, Kenya, World Vision Kenya unveiled the National Strategy and WASH business plan aiming to transform the lives of over 13 million children across 33 counties.

The organization, largely dependent on donor funding, has set atleast USD 392 million in investments for the five years strategic plan.

“With an ambitious goal to reach 13.3 million children across 33 counties, prioritizing those living in extreme poverty and children with disabilities, this strategy is about shifting from short-term interventions to lasting systems that protect children and strengthen communities.” said David Githanga, Board Chairperson, and World Vision Kenya.

This time however, alive to the shrinking donor space, the faith organization says it will employ a different model of raising the ambitious budget through partnerships and collaboration with the state and the private sector.

Funding strategy

World Vision Kenya plans to mobilize resources locally through co-creation and co-funding from players such as the national and county governments in the various regions the plan will have its foot.  According to the WVK chairman, the government will also aide in formulating policies that will support the implementation of the strategic plan.  

The private sector namely the banks will play key investment and innovative partnership roles while faith based institutions and the community based organizations will partner in mobilizing the beneficiaries from the ground and strengthen the grassroots reach of the project.

The new resource mobilization strategy focuses more on systems strengthening, partnerships, and business models, rather than broad, grant-funded service delivery.

Director program effectiveness and Impact at WVK, Fredrick Kasiku said the shrinking aid budgets from governments and multilateral partners have necessitated such partnership interventions even as middle-income counties remain increasingly exposed.

Focus Areas

Despite the funding gaps, World Vision Kenya,  averse that unveiling of USD 392 Million plan will be devised through an Integrated Wash and Health strategy target that will focus on sanitation and water resources management and the Resilient building environment and climate change program targeting up to 3.04million children

The latter is pegged on food security, economic empowerment, disaster risk management and conflict management.

According to Fredrick Kasiku, the strategy targets will be implemented in leathered environment riddled and with cases of gender Based Violence, conflicts, femicide, poverty and the volatile climate change and environment shocks.

‘’You cannot deliver food to a child who is unsafe and unprotected. We need partners to assist because however, these are the kind of environments that we shall be implementing this strategic plan’’ Kasiku said.

Government support

The principal secretary for state department of environment and climate change Festus Ngeno hailed the national strategic and Wash Business plan 2026 -2030 as complimenting the government’s environment and climate change agenda.

Her parliamentary affairs counterpart Aurelia Rono pledged to fast track the formulating of policies that will enable the implementation of the five year plan and broker an MOU between the state and World Vision that has been due since 2025.

According to Rono, her department is a repository of policies as she urged WVK to press on the areas that are not doing well for the betterment of the people.

2021 – 2025 WVK Strategic plan

The previous strategic plan was primarily funded through donor aids and reached up to 4.5 million people. According to the organization's documents, up to USD 433 million was injected into the plan as investment, out of which 2.6 million children were impacted directly and 1.95 million adults across 33 counties.

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