Rural Planning Directorate The Rural Planning Directorate was created as a Regional planning Unit to manage the Special Rural Development Programme. The Unit was upgraded to a section (Rural Planning). It was elevated to a Division in August 1979. It became a fully-fledged Department in 1985 with expanded mandate of coordinating development planning in Rural Kenya through the district plans Vision To achieve the highest level of efficiency in the management of district development process so as to maximize the welfare of the rural population in Kenya Mission To foster sustainable socio-economic development at the grass root through correct interpretation, dissemination and implementation of Government policies, mobilization of resources, effective planning, coordination and participatory selection of feasible community projects Objective and Mandate The main objective of the Directorate is to promote rural development through appropriate policies, programmes and projects that enhance capacity for growth. The Department also facilitates effective decentralization of planning and budget process from the sector Ministries to the districts through the District Focus for Rural Development Strategy. This is done through the preparation of District Poverty Assessment Report, District Poverty Reduction Strategy papers, the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), District Development Plans and District Socio-Economic Profiles