Strategic partnership is a formal arrangement between two or more organizations to collaborate and achieve specific goals while maintaining their independence. This type of partnership is often established to leverage each other's strengths, resources, enter new markets, share risks, develop new products and foster capabilities to gain competitive advantages. Strategic partnerships can take various forms, including joint ventures, alliances, consortiums and contractual agreements. This arrangement can happen between organizations, companies and even governments.
Makueni County situated in the former Eastern Province, home to 987,653 residents with an area mass of 8,008.9 km2 has previously faced substantial challenges due to the lack of a comprehensive partner mapping strategy. This oversight has led to multiple partners concentrating their efforts on already robust programs, resulting in an uneven distribution of resources and support.
In some instances, partners are not willing to disclose their resource baskets. This lack of transparency has led to inefficient resource utilization, as the County cannot accurately assess the full spectrum of available support, resulting in either overfunding certain programs or leaving others under-resourced. Consequently, this has caused redundancy and overlap in efforts, with multiple partners unknowingly investing in the same areas, while critical programs suffer from neglect.
The absence of a clear understanding of partners' resource commitments has also obstructed strategic planning and the development of synergistic collaborations, reducing the overall impact and efficiency of the County's efforts. Further, it has weakened accountability among partners as undisclosed resources make it difficult to track contributions and measure progress effectively. Without clear partner mapping and records, many counties experience the challenge of partners seeking grants independently without consulting them. This issue is exacerbated by the absence of a dedicated department responsible for coordinating and managing all partner activities.
Makueni County Governor H.E. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr CBS emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships in his manifesto, highlighting their crucial role in advancing the County's development. This has been implemented through the establishment of a Directorate of Strategic Partnerships, which is responsible for coordinating and managing all partner activities within the County. The directorate ensures that resources are effectively allocated and that there is a balanced focus across all programs. It serves as a central point of contact for all partners, facilitating clear communication and signing of MoUs. Additionally, the directorate is tasked with mapping out existing and potential partners, monitoring their contributions and aligning their efforts with the County’s strategic goals.
Different focal persons from all departments have been appointed to liaise with the Directorate of Strategic Partnerships. These focal persons serve as key contacts within their respective departments, ensuring effective communication and coordination with the directorate. Their roles include identifying potential partnership opportunities, providing updates on departmental needs and priorities. The health sector, due to its numerous programs and extensive partners, was chosen as the pilot department to initiate and launch the strategic partnership initiative in the County.
By organizing partner workshops, the sector has mapped out 79 partners contributing to various health programs across all sub-counties, in the County.
In August 2023, through partner workshops, the Department of Health coordinated with six eye sector partners-Fred Hollows, Kenya Society of the Blind, Lukenya University, Amor Foundation, Kasanga Mulwa, and Vision Sense to organize a free eye camp. The event drew over 1,000 attendees, with 300 individuals receiving cataract surgeries.