Access to Solar Water Pumps in Laikipia Project

SNV through the support of the GIZ Green People’s Energy for Africa is implementing a 2-year project titled “Access to Solar Water Pumps in Laikipia’’. The overall aim is to accelerate access to appropriate, reliable, and affordable sources of energy for smallholder farmers in Laikipia County, by enhancing local distribution and uptake of quality SWPs for farming. This will in turn result in increased productivity and incomes for smallholder farmers, therefore contributing towards the nation’s economic development.

The project will be implemented through support to private sector players (SWP distributors, rural distribution partners and rural credit providers) in close collaboration/cooperation with actors relevant to the smallholder farmers market segment including existing county and business channels, platforms, and mechanisms. The project will therefore intervene on both the demand and supply side.

The project will seek to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. Increase access and use of SWPs for crop irrigation and animal farming for smallholder farmers
2. Value chain actors ensure sustainable supply and distribution of SWPs at the local / county level.
3. Improve productivity and income streams for the smallholder farmers irrigating with SWPs.
4. Improved marketing and distribution channels for the suppliers of SWPs.
5. Deepened awareness of the benefits of clean energy products to enhance productivity in agricultural value chains.

Project target

1. 500 smallholder farmers using SWPs for crop irrigation and animal farming
2. 50% of smallholder farmers reporting improved productivity and revenues
3. 30% annual growth in sales performance for the supported distribution network
4. 50 jobs created along the value chain

Eligible technologies/products

The project will promote access to solar-powered water pumps for crop irrigation and animal farming for smallholder farmers. These will be appropriate SWPs that are already locally available in the Kenyan market. Priority will be given to quality products and suppliers who will provide after-sales support including product warranties. The project will therefore include measures to vet products to ensure relevance/appropriateness to the market.

Support provided by the project

Through a market-based approach, the project will focus on interventions on both the supply and demand sides to address key barriers constraining the distribution and adoption of SWPs in Laikipia county. On the supply side, the project will focus on capacity development for SWP companies and their rural distributors to ensure adequate availability and distribution in rural and remote areas. On the demand side, the project will focus on demand creation to enhance uptake of SWP technologies but will also enhance the capacity of the smallholder farmers to facilitate appropriate selection, use and maintenance of the SWPs. This will involve a mix of technical assistance and financial support to facilitate market development activities.

More specifically, eligible companies will be able to access:

Technical assistance – will involve needs-based support to enhance the supply and distribution of solar-powered water pumps.

Financial facilitation – the project will provide financial facilitation towards pre-agreed activities in line with the project intervention areas. Financial facilitation can either be:

a)    Where SNV directly procures product or service providers on behalf of beneficiary and therefore make direct payments to these service providers.

b)    Where the beneficiary proceeds to pre-finance and implement against pre-approved proposals (activities and budgets) and get re-imbursements from the project (project’s contribution) upon presenting proof of successful implementation/completion and verifiable proof of expenditure. SNV will allow this option on condition that planning, and implementation will be a joint process with the project team

The support will be structured in a performance-based approach in line with the achievement of the expected or agreed-upon results/outcomes. Any financial facilitation is provided on a co-financing basis.

Examples of eligible activities

Based on the intervention areas mentioned above, the project will facilitate the implementation of activities to overcome market development barriers to increase uptake and use of SWPs. The activities to address market barriers may include but are not limited to the following:

• Promotion and awareness creation (e.g.  market activations, product exhibitions, end-user education, behavioural change campaigns and marketing materials, etc.);
• Technical training and knowledge development for smallholder farmers on the use of SWPs for farming (e.g.  recruitment and training of distribution partners, stockiest, retailers, sales agents and/or group-based promoters, farmers, etc.);
• Enhancing technical capacities, quality assurance and after-sales support (e.g. capacity building of technicians, provision of technical sales support to small scale businesses acquiring the products/energy solutions, enhancement of call centre services, etc.);
• Business to business linkages (e.g. activities to promote and facilitate distribution partnership development and implementation);
• Facilitating financial linkages (e.g. activities to promote and facilitate end-user credit models).

The companies will identify and prioritize their specific support needs in collaboration with SNV.

Download the EOI Terms of Reference here

Download the application template here

The project seeks to support organisations with the following characteristics:

• Companies registered and operating in Kenya.
• Companies distributing or planning to distribute solar-powered water pumps for farming in Laikipia County.
• Companies with quality assurance mechanisms in place including after-sales support. Companies providing product warranties will have an added advantage.
• Companies applying to receive performance based financial re-imbursements, must have the financial capacity to implement pre-agreed activities before receiving refunds from the project.
• Willingness to sign an MOU and report to the project. The companies will be required to report sales data and provide periodic progress reports to the extent supported by the project

Download the EOI terms of reference here

Download the application template here

How to apply

Eligible organizations are hereby invited to submit their expression of interest (EOI) to participate in the project. Submit your EOI using the application template (Download here) through the “I’m Interested” tab on this page. An application template has been provided as a downloadable attachment to this request for EOI.

Applications will be accepted from October 2021 until end of December 2021 on a rolling basis. The project will assess applications, undertake due diligence and sign MoUs continuously over this period, but will give priority to applications on a first come first serve basis.

NB: While applying as a firm, upload your company profile in place of CV and only fill in the applicable fields in the online form.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

We do not appreciate third-party mediation based on this advertisement.

SNV Kenya does not require you to undergo any medical test prior to employment