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Internship options for students of undergraduate in Project Management in Kenya

Project management in Kenya has grown to find its place not only in universities but also in various organizations modelling their operations on execution of various projects. Introduced in early 2000s at the University of Nairobi, the course has produced graduates whose main background lies in managing various projects. Previously only viewed as a unit in various social science disciplines, project management has been degenerated into a full career course from undergraduate to doctoral level. Questions have been raised in various quotas that an undergraduate in project management does not have a specialization discipline. For example the argument is, how would a company engage a project manager in managing architectural work while they have little or no background in the area? And the answer is also simple in question – how would an architectural person manage several architectural projects with little knowledge in project management? It should be noted that students who are taken through a project management course at an undergraduate level have at least four options for their area of specialization. These areas of specialization should determine an undergraduate student’s focus on the various companies targeted for internship.

Areas of specialization

As a student of project management it is important to note, before seeking for internship that project management has at least four options considered as the field of specialization even if your university does not make conclusive consideration on this. These areas of specialization in project management are: Project design, develop, and implementation; Project management information systems; Monitoring and evaluation; and Project finance and accounting. Most students asks the kind of job they will be undertaking when undergoing internship, well, the areas highlighted, if the student completed their course to third year, are common knowledge and forms the areas of core activities the student will be involved in. For Project designing, developing and implementation the student will mainly be involved in works related to modelling new inventions, innovations, process re-engineering, and diffusion. In simple terms the student will be working with companies like ANDELA KENYA or GOOGLE KENYA managing inventions but not necessarily they themselves as the innovators. In Project Management Information System (PMIS) the student interns will be using information systems to manage multiple projects running at the same time in an organization. This is usually where real time data is required and the information used in ensuring the success of the projects. A good example is an intern working at the disaster operation center in charge of new household emergency projects and uses project management information system (PMIS) to control the flow of resources and the requirement list. For students who choose the Monitoring and Evaluation portfolio, the cake is cut as their core mandate is monitoring project stages and conducting the core evaluations required in every stage and at the end of the project. This specialization seems to be a common path taken by several students headed for internship. Students can also take the path of internship that specializes on project financing and accounting where the core activities is joining the

project financing section of a project and learning the ropes until the knot is tighter. To achieve this, it will be prudent for the student to learn further by getting a qualification in financing and accounting course. From the above specialization the student can then segregate the job market into the following areas as target internship fields in Kenya.

1. International and Local NGOs Implementing Projects

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) both locally and international have been known to engage in projects that are directed towards alleviating the ills of the society through a non-profit objective. For a student seeking internship in project management therefore it is prudent to ensure that you research on the various NGOs operating within your area of interest which may range from: humanitarian; educational; healthcare; public policy; social; human rights; environmental; or other areas as dictated by the nature of projects being undertaken. The Kenya National NGOs Coordination Board maintains a register of all the NGOs operating in Kenya and makes this list available on their website as per the area of operation. When seeking for internship, download this list to have a glimpse of the number and kind of projects the NGOs in your target internship area are engaged in. As a precedence it is important for students to note that seeking internships in international NGOs will give them more impetus compared to the local NGOs but again if the local NGOs are funded by international agencies, the standards are almost similar. The latter is commonly available so long as the student is not keen on remunerations. Joining an international NGO like World Vision Kenya will give the student immense skills in project management as theories are put to practice and challenged at the same time. Some of the international and local NGOs for consideration should include the following:

International NGOs	Local NGOs
The United Nations	Zuia Mtoto Asipotee
USAID	Youth Opportunities Upheld Kenya
World Vision	Youth Agenda
Mercy Corps International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)	World Neighbors - Kenya Wezesha By Grace
Care International Kenya	Maji Na Ufanishi
Oxfam	Vijiji Project
Amnesty International	Uweza Foundation
Save the Children	Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation
International Rescue Committee (IRC) ……….and Many others	Jonson Sakaja Foundation …the list is long for opportunity

For a student seeking to strategise for internship it is important, if your focus is on the NGOs, to download the list online and select the target internship area in terms of the kind of industry of interest. This may be the health sector, education, information and communication, humanitarian, public police or any other relevant. Once this is done segregate and target only NGOs in that specific field for internship opportunities.

2. Real Estate Industry

Most students have been made to believe that construction projects are the only project management core skills acquisition area during internships and many have targeted this area without knowing that it is just one of the subsection that constitute project management. In Kenya the real estate industry is now booming with major constructions projects undergoing in various sections of the country. This constructions ranges from major donor funded public infrastructure development projects to individual businesses and personal projects. The real estate industry has over the years grown to absorb project management professionals in ensuring the real estate projects are delivered within the required scope, cost and quality. It is in this sense therefore that a project management with interest in real estate can pursue companies and organizations involved in real estate development. The various real estate companies in Kenya where a project management student can pursue internship are numerous and without discriminating any one of them, a few common within the researcher’s scope of knowledge are:

•  Villa Care Kenya
•  Homes Universal
•  Knight Frank
•  Hass Consult
•  Llyod Masika
•  Azizi Realtors
•  Suraya Property Group
•  Dinara Developers
•  Homescope Properties
•  Ryden International

These are the big players in the industry and every student seeking internship in project management focusing on construction project or real estates, then these should be their initial choices. Whether they offer internship opportunity remains a task student will be able to answer during the process.

3. Project Management Consultancy Firms

Most project management professionals seeking to venture into business using their skills and knowledge in the same would most certainly start project management consultancy firms. In Kenya these consultancy firms are growing by the day and depending on the interest of the student seeking internship, there are numerous firms specializing in project environmental management; project monitoring and evaluation; project management information system; projects finance and accounting; projects modelling and design; and many other areas. These consultancy firms in Kenya should form a project management student’s internship optional area and narrow the search to the area of interest. The most notable project management consultancy firms, and again without discrimination in Kenya, includes:

•  Contrafrique Engineering & Building Services
•  Derrick Flatt Associates
•  First Rate Projects
•  Frontier Investment Management Africa
•  Limojade Management
•  M & M Construction Consultants
•  Maly Consulting
•  Mentor Management
•  Mosaic Homes
•  Motech Primes
•  Mt Kenya East Pilot Project
•  Mwanzoni
•  Ocra Company
•  Peman Consultants
•  PSRM Consultants
•  Que Management & Engineering Consultants
•  Techno International
•  Team Management Services
•  TMS Consulting Group
•  Tome Consult
•  Vex Engineers
•  Crystal Project Management Kenya
•  Redtie Project Management Consultants
•  Amazon Consultants
•  …..Many others with no presence online.

As indicated earlier, it should be noted that the project management consultancy firms are numerous and mainly focuses in various field of project management with a foundation in a core specialization which in many instances includes architecture, construction engineering, environmental science, management accounting, information technology, and agriculture.

3. Non-Project Management Firms having Project Management Department

Many companies and organizations are embracing management by projects as a method of execution of objectives to meet their missions and vision. In this essence therefore, many organizations and companies have established project management departments to push for their various projects within the tenets of the organization or company. The big question would be how the student seeking internship would know whether a company or organization have this department. The process of finding out is the same as that involved in finding out whether they have internship opportunities. As the person in need, the student should not tire up when seeking for internship opportunity and the motivating value should be the internship target area of specialization as it will define the student’s larger accomplishment in life.

Finally students seeking internship should not have an attitude that the companies have numerous opportunities and they were waiting for your application to act. The search for internship, in cases where the institution does not have a prior arrangement as is always the case, is tiring and discouraging and only the fittest survive. If as a student you survived the first three years of your study, then internship is an opportunity to show the world that you are becoming mature and ready for the job market. The remuneration during internship is also a big question as most students would want paying internship opportunities while the employers see the process as a cost saving venture since the student is learning. INTERNSHIP FOR STUDENTS IS A PROCESS THAT INDUCTS THE LEARNER TO THE INDUSTRY OF STUDY AND PUTS THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO PRACTICE WHETHER PAYING OR NONPAYING.

About the Author:

Benard Lango, PhD Projects Management, MA. Projects Planning & Management, Bsc. IT

An accomplished researcher in the field of public safety service delivery specializing in PMIS use in disaster management, Author of several books and articles, A trainer in public safety management, a policy developer in the area of disaster projects management. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Audit (EA) Lead Auditor registered with NEMA Kenya. A Member of the Environmental Institute of Kenya (EIK), A practicing member of Professional Trainers Association of Kenya (PTAK), A member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) the regulatory organization of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 

benard.lango@gmail.com, www.benardlango.org

How to interpret Terms of Reference (TOR) to write a Proposal

Author Reference: Lango, B. (2018). How to interpret Terms of Reference (TOR) to write a Proposal. Benard Lango Disaster Management Projects Series: Nairobi, Kenya. August 26, 2018.

Assume a Kenyan government agency is seeking the services of a professional to undertake a Road Safety audit for the Thika Superhighway. The company or the individual being sort has been enlightened on the following terms of reference (TOR) in their preparation of the proposal for the same. The big question is, “how would one interpret the terms of reference to come up with a proposal?” It should be noted that the proposal is an interpretation of the terms of reference and would indicated the levels of understanding of the TOR and the eventual execution of the project.

Terms of Reference

• Purpose: The purpose of the assignment is to conduct a Road Safety Audit for the Thika Superhighway.
• Objectives: 

1. Identify the current Road Safety Measures in place along the Thika-Superhighway and document how these measures can be improved.
2. Identify and document potential risks to road users including persons, services, and buildings within Thika Superhighway and the possible solutions for the same.
3. Assess the current emergency response procedures in place in cases of risks along the Thika-Superhighway and propose an improvement on the same.
4. Propose a Road Safety standard measures that would be deemed basic for the Thika-Superhighway and the users of the same road.
5. Document sustainable remedies to address the identified gaps providing an estimated cost to each of the proposed remedies.

The Interpretation

The proposal for the above terms of reference can be presented in the following norm but it is not lost to the writer that some TOR provides the contents of the expected proposal. Again the expected contents will more or less be in tandem with the following contents.

1. About your Company

Give a brief background about your company, its location, core services, scope of operations and current service or product on offer vis-à-vis the current request for proposal. It is important not to forget that this section is an introduction about your company and not the proposal itself and should not cover more than half a page in statement for projects below the cost of one million Kenyan Shilling and not more than one and half page for projects above one million Kenyan shillings. It should also be noted that other TORs would specify the exact requirement for this section.

2. Understanding the Terms of ReferenceThis section of the proposal merely paraphrases the TOR as received without changing its meaning and restating the requirements as deemed in each of the terms stated. When doing the proposal, give an understanding of the agency seeking the proposal and the broad objectives it intends to achieve in the long term. The big question that this section should answer is whether you have an understanding of the bigger problem that occasioned the request for proposal.

It therefore lists the specific objectives which must be achieved at the final end of the project once executed.

3. Purpose of the AssignmentThe proposal should indicated the main purpose in a line or two depending on the components of the TOR. The purpose summarizes the bigger problem described in section 2 above.

4. Scope of Work

In this section define the specific activities which will be undertaken in order to achieve the stated objectives under the understanding of terms of reference. In a nutshell, for each of the stated TORs, indicated the activities that will be undertaken to achieve them and the area of coverage at the end of each activity. It cannot escape this writing that most of the proposals submitted by companies re-write the TORs in doing word to accomplish this section’s requirement.

As a starter in the proposal writing, the scope of the proposal document activities to be undertaken for each and every TOR listed in the Request for Proposal document in order to achieve the broad objective.

5. Proposed Methodologies

In this particular section, propose the method or set of methods you would be using to execute the project stating clearly what each and every method intends to achieve. Each and every TOR can be executed using an independent method but this will depend with the kind of project being undertaken. For purposes of the above TORs the methods will be interdependent and run concurrently. The proposed method would therefore be:

• Preliminary meeting with the road safety managers; the users, property owners, and security officers;
• Observation;
• Reconnaissance survey;
• Site interviews;
• Review of reference materials;
• Review of road safety agency documents and other secondary documents.

6. National, Regional, and International Benchmarks

Based on the TORs indicate the policies, regulations, legal and institutional frameworks that will be the focal point providing a synopsis of the ideal requirement. The national benchmarks in this case therefore will be provided by the frameworks that are with the Kenyan territory, the East Africa Community and African Union frameworks forming the basis for regional benchmarks while the international bodies such as the World Bank and the International Labour Organization among others forming the international benchmarks of which clear and relevant frameworks from these bodies must be quoted in this section and the executors of the project be well aware of. For purposes of the above

TORs the following will be national, regional and international benchmarks:

•  The Kenyan Traffic Act Revised Edition 2015 [2013] and its subsidiary regulations.
•  The Kenyan National Transport and Safety Authority Act. No. 33 of 2012. Revised Edition 2014 [2012]
• The Kenyan Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007 and its subsidiary legislations including the Fire Risks Regulation Rules Legal Notice No. 59 of 2007;
•  The East African Community (EAC) Vehicle Load Control Act, 2013.
•  The World Bank Safeguard Policies
•  ILO-OSH 2001 “Guideline on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems”
•  ISO 14001 “Environmental Management Systems”
•  IFC and World Bank Environment, Health and Safety Guidelines

7. Deliverable

On the basis of the methodologies stated, this section lists the tangible outcome as a result of execution of each of the TORs. This section should lists these outcomes based on the requirements of the TORs and where there is none a generic one should be developed focusing on the TORs execution. The following are the typical deliverables for each project being executed:

• An Inception Report
• Draft Findings Report
• Draft Findings Report Incorporating comments from proponent
• Final Report

8. Proposed Work Plan

This section of the proposal outlines the list of activities to be undertaken in accomplishing the project and executing its TORs. To develop the work plan, the focus is majorly on the scope, TORs, and the required deliverables. Each and every proposal for a project will have a specific work plan that focuses on achieving its scope coverage, its TORs execution, and delivering the required output. For purposes of this article, the work plan for the above project with the TORs indicated would be:

1. Developing a Road Safety Assessment and Analysis Tool specific to Thika Superhighway.
2. Desktop review of the existing Road Safety legal, institutional, policy and institutional frameworks.
3. Desktop review of existing Road Safety management documents for Thika Superhighway.
4. Developing evaluation questions specific to Thika-Superhighway.
5. Drafting the Inception Report and Submission to Proponent
6. Meeting with Key-Personnel, Road Users, and Property owners on Road Safety Issues along Thika Superhighway.
7. Site visit and data collection along the Thika – Superhighway.
8. Presentation of raw findings on-site to the Key-Personnel, road users, and property owners along the Thika-Superhighway.
9. Document the Draft Road Safety Audit Report for Thika-Superhighway
10. Review and submission of the Draft Road Safety Audit to the proponent
11. Review of Draft Road Safety Audit Report with Comments from the Proponent.
12. Submission of Final Road Safety Audit Report of Thika – Superhighway.
13. Closure and Termination of Project.

Once the activities have been listed as above, the proposal then tags a timeline that it will take to achieve the stated activities. Each activity listed must be given a time duration and this duration computed to give the total time the project would take to its completion.

9. Professionals Assigned to the Project

This section of the proposed in brief describes all the professionals that would be attached to the project and their location of operation. This is essentially a summarized CV that describes the project team leader, the assistants and the other technical expertise and support to the project. Most companies would also supply these details as an appendix which still stands but these unless expressly stated in the RFQ, should be stated immediately after the activities.

10. Summarized and Detailed Budget

This section of the proposal is referred to as the financial proposal, while the previous section is the technical proposal.
The financial section will give a summary of all the costing including taxes in the first table and a detailed costing in the next table tabulating each cost contribution to the summary cost. The detailed budget section of the proposal has three fundamental inclusions which are:

1. Professional Fees
2. Reimbursable costs
3. Taxes

The professional fees and the reimbursable costing should be calculated based on standards known with the range on which the project is based. Bodies such as the World Bank and other funding agencies have standardized fees based on the number of days a professional is assigned to a project. Always refer to these rates when the not sure of what rate to charge in a proposal.

11. Payment

An easily forgotten section of the proposal, it is always important to indicate the mode of payment and the credit period for which you can allow payment to extend. In cases where the project requires a percentage payment before commencement, it is also in this section where this is noted.

12. Appendix

These are supporting documents attached to the proposal mainly relevant to this particular proposal. This documents will include:

1. Company certificate of incorporation,
2. Kenya Revenue Authority Tax PIN
3. Kenya Revenue Authority Tax Compliance Certificate
4. CV of Professionals attached to the project
5. List of Recent Similar Assignments and Contact Persons.
6. At least three relevant contract or LPOs copies.
7. Statement of Integrity – Very important in Kenya today.

The contents described above should help you develop a standard proposal based on a set of Terms of Reference and with time this can be improved to your company specific such that it is unique. There are professionals with skilled training in proposal drafting and fund sourcing and most would see this content as too basic. But this writing is meant for business start-ups with little knowledge in proposal writing, otherwise too much knowledge does not unite the brain with the desires of the heart.

Benard Lango, PhD Projects Management, MA. PPM

An accomplished Project Management researcher in the field of public safety service delivery specializing in PMIS use in disaster management, Author of several books and articles, A trainer in public safety management, a policy developer in the area of disaster projects management. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Audit (EA) Lead Auditor registered with NEMA Kenya. A Member of the Environmental Institute of Kenya (EIK), A practicing member of Professional Trainers Association of Kenya (PTAK), A member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) the regulatory organization of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

benard.lango@gmail.com, or bernard.lango@jkuat.ac.ke

Lango Standard Procedure for Establishing a Fire Team at the Workplace

Author Reference: Lango, B. (2017). Lango Standard Procedure for Establishing a Fire Team at the Workplace. Intel Fire Group of Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya. January 28, 2018.

 

Workplace Fire Marshal Reflector Jacket (Source: Intel Fire Group)

The Kenyan fire risks regulation rules legal notice number 59 of 2007 revised in 2010 in its section 20 requires every workplace to form a fire team giving a guide on the total number required depending on the workplace but fails to provide a candid procedure to selecting these members. The regulation provides that a workplace shall constitute of the following members: at least two persons where the number of workers is not more than ten; at least three persons where the number is between eleven and twenty five; and at least five persons where the number of workers is more than twenty five. The word “at least” confirms that these are the minimum requirements and for every workplace the process of identifying these minimum is usually a daunting task. The question therefore is, how the safety office would select the required fire team from the various sections of the workplace. The Lango standard procedure for establishing fire teams at the workplace gives the following steps:

1. Identify the category of the workplace where the fire team is being created as per the fire risk regulation rules legal notice number 59 of 2007 which is a subsidiary of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH) 2007 revised in 2010. The workplace should therefore be categorized as: 
1. Having less than 10 workers 
2. Having between 11 and 25 workers 
3. Having more than 25 workers
   

1. If the workplace category is (a) above i.e have less than 10 workers then randomly select two able individuals on voluntary basis as the workplace fire team members and take them through a training, if not, then
    
2. The workplace have between 11 and 25 workers and this is still within considerable strength of voluntary selection
   of three individuals to the fire team membership of the workplace, otherwise;
    
3. The workplace has more than 25 employees and will definitely have various departments. List all the departments
   within the workplace which have more than 5 persons.
    
4. From each of the departments listed voluntarily select one person to represent the department to the fire team of
   the workplace.
    
5. Compile a list of the selected members from each of the various departments and if the list does not reach the
   minimum required number of five members to the fire team then repeat the process to add more members to the
   team.
    
6. Publish the list of the voluntary selected members of the fire team to the workplace general notice board indicating
   their telephone numbers as required in OSH Act 2007.
    
7.  Hold the first orientation meeting to congratulate the members to the fire team and let them nominate through
   their own process one of them as the chief fire team member to guide their functions.
   

It is prudent to note that these procedures follows a series of studies conducted in various organization in the process of establishing fire team within the workplace. The procedure is a test standard and can be used for both practicing safety professionals and non-safety professionals practicing safety duties at the workplace. FIRE SAFETY DUTIES AT THE WORKPLACE IS A VOLUNTARY SERVICE BUT THAT GENTLEMAN IN THAT CORNER OFFICE HOLDS THE KEY.
 

Benard Lango, PhD Projects Management, MA. PPM, Bsc.IT(DSS)
An accomplished researcher in the field of public safety service delivery specializing in PMIS use in disaster management, Author of several books and articles, A trainer in public safety management, a policy developer in the area of disaster projects management. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Audit (EA) Lead Auditor registered with NEMA Kenya. A Member of the Environmental Institute of Kenya (EIK), A practicing member of Professional Trainers Association of Kenya (PTAK), A member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) the regulatory organization of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)
benard.lango@gmail.com, www.benardlango.org