KEPSA Security Sector Board held a meeting on 12^th January 2023 with Connecting Business initiative (CBi) network representatives. The meeting was aimed at laying the operational framework for an engagement between KEPSA and CBi, with key focus on improved resilience of societies and businesses, more lives saved, and livelihoods safeguarded through strengthened scale and effectiveness of disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities.

The KEPSA  team was led by Ms Annette Kimitei, KEPSA Security Sector Board Chair; Mr Cosmas Mutava, , KEPSA Security Sector Board Vice Chair; Mr Wafula Nabutola, Disaster Risk Management Subsector Chair under KEPSA Security Sector Board; Mr Steven Barry, KEPSA Security Sector Board; Mr Patrick Wandare, Legal Counsel at KEPSA and Ms Mary Mailu, KEPSA PPD. CBi was represented by Ms Florian Rhiza, Local Network Coordination Specialist, CBi; Mr Kareem Elbayar, Programme Coordinator Chief Executive Officer, OCHA/UNDP CBi; and Ms Priscilla Lecomte, Communications Specialist, CBi.

The priority agenda focused on the launch of the KEPSA-CBi partnership agreement that was signed in 2022. The launch proposed to take place in late February 2023, will bring on board different stakeholders, including representatives from the government, media, private sector, SMEs and will involve panel discussion to advance mutually beneficial agenda.

While stressing on the need for a focus approach, the following issues were discussed during the meeting: value addition of CBi; international perspective on being a CBi network; external participation by and in CBi network countries; disaster preparedness and recovery; CBi as a network and an organization; benchmarking on global best practices on matters disaster risk management; identification of potential CBi networks that can be onboarded to further the mission of CBi; climate crisis; identification of networks with similar organization as KEPSA and disaster resilience for SMEs.

CBi is a joint initiative by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that engages the private sector strategically before, during and after emergencies, increasing the scale and effectiveness of the response and recovery in a coordinated manner.

The representatives of both KEPSA and CBi will be meeting weekly to iron out pending issues for action.