TITLE:
The Paradox of Public-Private Partnership Policy Dynamics and Food Security in Kenya
AUTHORS:
Sheila Likhwechi Ashiono, Joseph Okeyo Obosi, Fred Jonyo
KEYWORDS:
Public-Private Partnerships, Public Enterprise, Community Initiative, Food Security, Lease Contract, Governance
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
25,
2025
ABSTRACT: Different forms of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been utilized as strategies to enhance food security in many countries. Globally, the forms of PPP used in food security projects are categorized based on the types of relationships between partners, the asset management framework, and the nature of the contract. However, the choice of a form of PPP remains a paradox with which governments struggle. Hence, regardless of the form of PPP adopted, there were food security outcomes, either meeting expected results or falling below expectations. Therefore, the paper investigated the dynamics of public-private partnership policies and their impact on food production outcomes in Kenya. The paper discussed the dynamics of governance and food security to understand whether the form of a PPP matters in food production outcomes. The study purposively identified three (3) PPPs in Kenya based on their form and, using a comparative case analysis, examined whether the various forms had similar or divergent food production outcomes. The research data were obtained from forty (40) key informant interviews conducted in the three (3) irrigation schemes. Based on their performance outcomes, the Chakama Irrigation Scheme operated as a Community Initiative form of PPP, and it was a successful PPP. Perkerra Irrigation Scheme, which was a Public Enterprise form of PPP, was also successful, while Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Scheme, which operated as a Lease Contract, was unsuccessful. Therefore, the study found that it was not necessarily the form of a PPP, but rather the effectiveness of the governance arrangement, that affects food production outcomes.