CONSULTANCY TO ANALYSE THE LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY LANDSCAPE FOR THE DRUG-RESISTANT TB (DR-TB) RESPONSE- A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF KENYA, NIGERIA AND ZIMBABWE

BACKGROUND

The Combat DR-TB Project is a multi-country, Global South-led initiative funded by Unitaid that places affected communities and civil society at the centre of the response to drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). The Project is implemented in Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tajikistan, Moldova and Ukraine and seeks to shift the DR-TB response away from top-down models towards community-driven demand for and uptake of, the latest biomedical advances, including the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended shorter, all-oral DR-TB treatment regimens. The Project is led by KELIN.

This consultancy focuses on three of the Project’s implementing countries of Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe and takes a comparative approach to analysing their legislative and policy environments for the TB and DR-TB response.

THE LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY CONTEXT

Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe are all high TB-burden countries carrying a significant DR-TB burden and all three are implementing countries under the Combat DR-TB Project. Each has committed through national strategies and its endorsement of the political declarations of the United Nations High-Level Meetings on TB to ending TB and to addressing the human-rights and gender-related barriers that prevent equitable access to TB services, particularly for marginalised and vulnerable groups.

In Kenya, the legal environment continues to present barriers to a rights-based TB response. Kenya does not have comprehensive, TB-specific legislation. Provisions of the Public Health Act permit the isolation and detention of persons affected by infectious disease, and these powers have in the past been used to incarcerate people with TB who were lost to treatment follow-up. The High Court of Kenya  held that the imprisonment of TB patients on this basis is unlawful and unconstitutional, yet the underlying statutory framework has not been comprehensively reformed. Gaps  persist in legal protection against stigma and discrimination, in informed consent and confidentiality, in social and financial protection against the catastrophic costs of TB and in the domestication of political commitments to end TB.

Nigeria and Zimbabwe face comparable challenges within their own constitutional, statutory and policy frameworks. A comparative analysis across the three countries can therefore surface common barriers, highlight divergent approaches and identify transferable, evidence-based solutions for a rights-based DR-TB response.

Against this background, there is a clear need for a rigorous, up-to-date comparative analysis of the legislative and policy landscape across the three countries to identify concrete, actionable areas for reform and to build consensus among stakeholders on a shared reform agenda. This consultancy responds to that need.

RATIONALE OF THE CONSULTANCY

An evidence-based understanding of the existing legal and policy framework is a precondition for effective advocacy. Without a clear map of which laws, regulations and policies enable or obstruct a rights-based DR-TB response, advocacy risks being fragmented and reactive. By analysing the legislative landscape across the three countries, identifying priority reform areas and validating findings through a multi-stakeholder roundtable, this consultancy will:

• Equip the Project, affected communities and civil society partners with an authoritative reference document to guide advocacy.
• Identify entry points for legal and policy reform that can be pursued at national and subnational levels across the three countries.
• Strengthen multisectoral accountability by clarifying the obligations of health and non-health actors and the status of the three countries’ political commitments to end TB.
• Create a shared, stakeholder-owned reform agenda that can be taken forward beyond the life of the consultancy.

OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The specific objectives of the consultancy are:

• To map and critically review the constitutional, statutory, regulatory, policy and jurisprudential framework relevant to TB and DR-TB in Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe both at national and where relevant, subnational levels.
• To assess the extent to which each country’s legal and policy framework aligns with its regional and international human-rights obligations and TB commitments and with WHO normative guidance.
• To undertake a comparative analysis across the three countries, identifying common barriers, notable divergences and transferable good practices.
• To identify gaps, inconsistencies and barriers in the legal and policy environment and to define priority, actionable areas for reform in each country and regionally.
• To convene and facilitate a multi-stakeholder roundtable to validate the draft analysis, build consensus on a prioritised reform agenda and incorporate the resulting feedback.
• To produce a high-quality comparative analytical report with clear recommendations, together with an advocacy friendly summary suitable for engaging policymakers and the public.

SCOPE OF WORK

The assignment covers three of the Combat DR-TB Project countries of Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe and is to be delivered primarily through desk-based research, given its focus on the analysis of laws and policies. The consultant is expected to:

• Apply a single, consistent comparative analytical framework across all three countries.
• Conduct a systematic desk review of each country’s constitution, statutes, regulations, policies, strategies and relevant jurisprudence, together with applicable regional and international instruments and WHO normative guidance.
• Supplement the desk review with targeted, remote key-informant consultations where needed to validate findings or fill gaps.
• Convene a multi-stakeholder validation roundtable which may be held virtually or in hybrid format bringing together stakeholders from the three countries and the consortium.

Consultant location: the consultant will be recruited from and based in Kenya and no international travel is anticipated for this assignment.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

1. Inception report including the comparative analytical framework, methodology, data-collection tools, stakeholder-mapping matrix and detailed work plan.
2. Three-country legislative landscape mapping matrix a structured matrix of relevant instruments for Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, with a preliminary gap analysis.
3. Draft comparative analytical report per-country legislative analysis, comparative gap analysis and preliminary reform recommendations.
4. Facilitate multi-stakeholder validation meeting and agreed next steps
5. Final comparative report and policy brief actionable recommendations incorporating reviewer and roundtable feedback, plus a short advocacy friendly policy brief.

DURATION 

The assignment will be conducted for a period thirty(30) Consultancy days from the date of contract signing.

DESIRED EDUCATION & COMPETENCIES

The ideal consultant/firm should have:

• An advanced degree in law, public health, public policy, human rights, or a closely related field. A first degree with substantial relevant experience may be considered.
• The consultant must be based in Kenya.
• At least 7-10 years of demonstrated experience in legislative or policy analysis, legal reform, or health and human rights.
• Demonstrated expertise in the right to health and a human-rights-based approach to health, ideally with experience in TB, HIV or other infectious-disease responses.
• Experience in comparative or multi-country legal and policy analysis and familiarity with (or a demonstrated ability to analyse) the legal and policy frameworks of Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
• Strong legal desk-research skills and the ability to synthesise complex material into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Understanding of devolved and federal governance arrangements and relevant regional and international human-rights instruments.

REPORTING

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Lead/Project Officer for the Combat DR-TB Project. The consultant is expected to maintain regular communication with the Project team, provide brief progress updates at agreed intervals and promptly flag any challenges that may affect delivery.

Periodic check-ins will be held to review progress and address emerging issues.

All applications received will be subjected to a fair and competitive review process.

Only shortlisted Consultants will be contacted.

This call for Consultancy will close on Monday 31st August 2026 11.59 PM EAT.