Evaluation of Oxfam Kenya’s Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme Full Time

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/

1. Introduction

Despite significant progress in advancing gender equality, only 29% of Kenyan women are currently deemed empowered, according to UN Women and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (2020). Ongoing barriers—such as insufficient implementation of laws, limited funding, weak accountability mechanisms, and deeply entrenched patriarchal norms—continue to hinder women’s participation and power across political, economic, and social spheres. These factors restrict women’s choices and opportunities both within households and public spaces, limiting their decision-making authority and control over assets and reinforcing unequal care responsibilities. The intersection of these barriers creates compounding effects that perpetuate cycles of poverty, weaken resilience against economic shocks, and impede participation in leadership roles.

In response, Oxfam in Kenya’s Country Strategy (2021–2024) focuses on reducing inequality and ending poverty and injustice to build resilience among marginalized communities. At the heart of this strategy is the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights pillar, which recognizes the transformative potential of women and girls in reshaping Kenya’s future.

2.1 Oxfam’s Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme

The Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme empowers women to gain greater control over their lives and actively participate in public life through four key focus areas. First, women’s economic empowerment enhances access to resources and opportunities, fostering financial independence. Second, transformative women’s leadership promotes participation in leadership roles, strengthening representation and influence. Third, ending violence against women and girls addresses and prevents gender-based violence, creating safer spaces for women and girls.

The program’s theory of change is based on challenging patriarchal systems, harmful cultural norms, and exclusionary practices. Fostering an enabling environment empowers women to gain agency, amplify their voices, influence decision-making at all levels, and access resources driving systemic change toward gender equality and social justice. Oxfam’s approach focuses on transforming power relations and dismantling structural inequalities as essential steps to ending poverty and injustice. In collaboration with feminist and women-led organizations, the program combats gender discrimination, eliminates gender-based violence, and challenges patriarchal norms that perpetuate inequality.

It also empowers marginalized genders by promoting rights awareness, including sexual and reproductive health, encouraging participation in decision-making, and advocating legal reforms for equal rights. Additionally, the program advances economic justice by improving access to resources, supporting fair policies, and addressing harmful gender norms. Through community engagement, legal reforms, and accountability, the program envisions a feminist, gender-just world where everyone, regardless of gender identity, can live with dignity and free from discrimination. By supporting leadership development, advocacy, mentorship, and grassroots activism, Oxfam aims to create sustainable change, making gender justice a driving force for equality and social transformation.

2.2 Core Projects Driving Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme

1. The Impact Small and Medium Enterprise (iSME) Project supports women entrepreneurs through business development services, including financial modeling, fundraising, and investor engagement. It also focuses on policy advocacy, network strengthening, and gender mainstreaming to promote inclusive financial ecosystems and drive women’s economic empowerment in Kenya.
2. The We-Care Project addresses the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women and girls. It works to recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care responsibilities, promote gender-equitable norms, and advocate for supportive policies.
3. The Time to Care Project aims to improve gender equality and care infrastructure. It focuses on addressing unpaid care work, supporting paid care workers’ rights, shifting social norms, and influencing care-related policies.
4. The Transformative Women Leadership Project enhances women’s leadership capacities and promotes gender-responsive policies across governance, economic, and decision-making spaces.
   1. Justification:

As Oxfam in Kenya moves toward achieving affiliate status by April 2025, conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme is both timely and essential. This evaluation will provide critical insights into the program’s effectiveness, relevance, impact and strategic contribution to Oxfam Kenya’s Country Strategy. It will serve as a foundational tool for strengthening strategic direction, enhancing program impact, and ensuring alignment with Oxfam’s broader goals on gender equality and women’s empowerment. By offering an evidence-based assessment, the evaluation will identify key challenges, highlight successes, and provide actionable recommendations to enhance gender justice interventions.

This evaluation is driven by several factors. It will assess program strategies, implementation, and outcomes, providing insights into the program’s effectiveness and whether strategies achieve the intended results in Oxfam’s gender justice objectives. It will also analyze feminist approaches, examining how Oxfam’s principles influence outcomes and inform future programming to enhance the organization’s feminist agenda. Stakeholder engagement will be assessed, focusing on key contributors, including Women’s Rights Organizations, feminist movements, government officials, and marginalized groups, identifying strengths and collaboration opportunities for systemic change. Finally, it will offer strategic recommendations for future programming, guiding interventions, strengthening donor engagement, and ensuring relevance within Kenya’s evolving landscape. This consultancy is essential for aligning Oxfam Kenya’s efforts with its strategic objectives, ensuring the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme remains impactful and responsive to women and marginalized communities’ needs.

The report will serve as a critical tool for Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) by providing evidence-based insights to inform program design, strengthen advocacy efforts, and support resource mobilization. It will help WROs engage policymakers with credible data, influence policy and budgeting processes, and identify areas for capacity strengthening. Additionally, the report will foster collaboration through shared learning platforms like validation workshops and peer reviews, enhance monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and boost the visibility and credibility of WROs in advancing gender equality initiatives.

1. Purpose and Scope of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to evaluate the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme in alignment with Oxfam’s strategic objectives. The evaluation will assess the program’s impact, identify key challenges, and provide actionable recommendations to strengthen gender justice interventions.

Objectives of the consultancy

• Assess the overall impact of the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme against its strategic objectives, highlighting key successes, challenges, and gaps in implementation.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of feminist approaches and gender mainstreaming in advancing gender justice outcomes.
• Analyze stakeholder engagement and partnerships, including the role of feminist organizations, government officials, and marginalized groups in achieving program objectives.
• Provide recommendations to strengthen feminist leadership, gender justice interventions, and inclusive decision-making processes.
• Assess the sustainability, scalability, and adaptability of program interventions in response to Kenya’s evolving political, social, and civic landscape.
• Review the effectiveness of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) systems to support continuous learning and program adaptation.
• Identify opportunities for innovation in gender justice programming and provide evidence-based recommendations to inform future programming and donor engagement.

Indicative evaluation questions

The evaluation will incorporate questions and analysis to:

• Establish the extent to which Gender Justice and Women’s Rights has shifted power in favour of women in their struggle to fight inequality and injustice.
• Understand the process through which the shift in power has occurred, taking into account pre-conditions, internal and external factors and program Theory of Change.
• Understand Oxfam’s contribution to the shift in power in favor of women.
• Understand contribution of partners and other factors.

  Identify and document evidence-based cases, stories, signs of change, lessons learned and including recommendations for improvements for the next strategy period.

The consultancy will focus on the following key areas of evaluation

1. Program Impact and Outcomes – Assess planned and unplanned, positive and negative outcomes, including the effectiveness of program design, execution, and alignment with Oxfam Kenya’s gender justice objectives.
2. Empowerment, Leadership, and Systemic Change – Evaluate how Oxfam’s strategies empower women and girls, foster leadership, and drive systemic change through innovation and advocacy.
3. Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement and Intersectionality – Analyze engagement with key stakeholders, including WROs, government officials, and marginalized groups, while assessing how the program integrates masculinity, non-binary perspectives, and intersectional approaches.
4. Program Performance and Accountability – Review resource utilization, MEAL systems, and efficiency in achieving program outcomes, ensuring effective monitoring and adaptive management.
5. Sustainability, Scalability, and Future Recommendations – Assess the sustainability and scalability of interventions, providing actionable recommendations to strengthen future programming, enhance donor engagement, and ensure ongoing relevance in Kenya’s evolving context.

   Methodology

The consultancy will adopt an intersectional feminist approach that centers the voices, experiences, and agency of women and marginalized groups Including women we work with and their organizations The evaluation process will be participatory, ensuring meaningful engagement of all stakeholders and upholding the principle of “nothing about us without us”. A gender-sensitive and ethical data collection process will be prioritized, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods to capture diverse perspectives across grassroots communities, feminist movements, government actors, and policy influencers. The methodology will also critically acknowledge and address structural barriers—such as unpaid care work, limited access to funding, and systemic inequalities—that affect women’s and marginalized groups’ participation and empowerment. Mixed methods will include in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, Most Significant Change Stories (MSC), Outcome harvesting,stakeholder analysis and participatory workshops to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the program’s impact. Additionally, the evaluation will integrate a power analysis to assess underlying gender dynamics and social norms, ensuring that findings and recommendations are contextually grounded and reflective of the lived realities of those most affected by gender injustice.

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.

1. Key Activities and Deliverables

Activities/Tasks:

1. Conduct a comprehensive desk review of program documents, relevant policies, previous evaluations, and other pertinent literature.
2. Apply participatory feminist methodologies, such as Outcome Harvesting and Most Significant Change (MSC), to guide the evaluation process.
3. Engage a diverse range of stakeholders, including WROs, feminist movements, county government officials, private sector actors, and marginalized communities (domestic workers, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ groups).
4. Analyze the effectiveness of program interventions in promoting women’s empowerment, advancing feminist leadership, and driving systemic change.
5. Identify strategies to strengthen feminist partnerships and enhance inclusivity by integrating non-binary and intersectional perspectives.
6. Facilitate a validation workshop with key stakeholders to present preliminary findings and gather feedback.

Deliverables:

1. An inception report for the activity
2. A detailed desk review summary establishing contextual foundations and program alignment.
3. Participatory engagement reports capturing insights from all stakeholder groups.
4. Analytical findings on program effectiveness, challenges, and successes.
5. Recommendations on strengthening feminist partnerships and inclusivity in future programming.
6. A comprehensive evaluation report with key findings and evidence-based recommendations.
7. Validation workshop report, including stakeholder feedback and final co-created recommendations.
8. Final Evaluation report

Deliverables And Payment Schedule

Remuneration is based on the submission of final deliverables according to the schedule below.

Inception Report

The inception phase will commence with a comprehensive desk review of existing project documents and relevant literature on Gender Justice and Women’s Rights. Based on this analysis, the inception report will include:

• A list of literature materials to review, including relevant programme documents, policies, previous evaluations, and feminist research frameworks.
• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities of the team members involved in the consultancy.
• A detailed work plan outlining tasks, timelines, deliverables, and responsibilities.
• Data collection tools, including surveys, interviews, and focus group discussion guides, that incorporate participatory feminist methodologies.
• Ethical guidelines for conducting data collection, ensuring confidentiality, consent, and respect for vulnerable populations.
• The proposed methodology, ensuring an inclusive, intersectional approach that centres marginalized voices.
• A stakeholder mapping report to identify and analyse relevant actors for meaningful engagement.
• An updated budget reflecting all consultancy activities and resource requirements.
• A proposed schedule of meetings with key Oxfam staff and relevant stakeholders to monitor progress and provide regular updates throughout all phases of the consultancy.
• A preliminary review of programme documents and policies to assess alignment with gender justice objectives.
• A detailed table of contents for the final evaluation report, outlining key sections such as findings, analysis of successes and challenges, and evidence-based recommendations for future programming and donor engagement.

Final Report Structure for Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme Evaluation

1. Executive Summary: A concise overview of the evaluation purpose, methodology, key findings, conclusions, and actionable recommendations.
2. Introduction: Context and background of the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme, with a focus on its relevance to Oxfam Kenya’s broader strategic objectives.
3. Purpose, Objectives, and Scope: Clear articulation of the evaluation’s purpose, specific objectives, and focus areas.
4. Methodology: Detailed explanation of data collection methods, analysis framework, ethical considerations, and how inclusivity and intersectionality were addressed.
5. Findings and Analysis: A comprehensive analysis that covers:

• Empowerment of women and marginalized genders, including feminist leadership development.
• Promotion of economic justice and improved access to resources.
• Addressing gender-based violence and transforming harmful social norms.
• Strengthening partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
• Advancing legal reforms and enhancing civic space for gender justice advocacy.
• Key successes, challenges, and gaps identified during program implementation.
• Conclusion and Recommendations: A summary of findings with clear, actionable recommendations for strengthening future programming, enhancing partnerships, and improving gender justice outcomes.

Annexes:

• Terms of Reference for the evaluation.
• Data collection tools (surveys, interview guides, focus group templates).
• List of stakeholders consulted.
• Supporting documentation reviewed.
• Visual data presentations (tables, charts, infographics).
• Raw data submissions (quantitative datasets, interview transcripts, focus group notes) to be archived at Oxfam Kenya’s Nairobi office.
• A summary of key findings in a user-friendly format for easy dissemination.

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.

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 (10) PAGES inclusive 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 evaluation including logistics.

REPORTING LINES

The consultant shall work under the supervision of Oxfam’s MEAL Advisor with a strong liaison with the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights technical team.

Profile Requirements

The company/ individual(s) should have the following competencies:

Essential

Academic/Professional qualification

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, gender studies, public policy, development studies, or a related field.
• Expertise in gender-responsive budgeting (GRB)
• Proven experience in conducting stakeholder mapping and analysis, particularly within gender-focused programs.
• Practical experience applying feminist Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) principles and practices.
• Strong facilitation skills with the ability to engage stakeholders at multiple levels, including government officials, civil society organizations, and marginalized communities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with proven ability to present complex information clearly and effectively.
• Strong analytical, communication, and report writing skills, demonstrated by at least three published research pieces, evaluation reports, or policy documents.
• Proficiency in spoken and written Kiswahili and English
• Knowledge of Kenya’s governance structures and legal frameworks
• Experience working with Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs), feminist movements, and other gender justice networks in Kenya.

Tagged as: Kenya, Oxfam GB