PEACE AND SECURITY

Kenya continues to face peace and security challenges. Political and electoral conflicts continue to be a concern in Kenya. The legacy of the post-election grievances and conflicts , unfulfilled post-election demands and continuous ethnic mobilization and unhealthy political competition pose great peace and security challenges to the Kenyan social and political fabric.Radicalization and violent extremism that often leads to terrorism continues to lurk in the areas bordering Somalia, the coastal region Nairobi and other Counties. There are founded fears that extremist recruiters have turned their recruitment sprees into non-traditional Muslim areas such as central, rift valley and western. regions This is why the Global Terrorism Index has consistently ranked Kenya amongst the top 25 countries in the world most affected by terrorism in the last half a decade.

Land and boundary (inter-ethnic, inter county and international) disputes continue to simmer in various parts of the country particularly the border and cosmopolitan counties such as Nandi, Kericho, Nakuru, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Laikipia, Baringo, Turkana, Narok, Marsabit, Isiolo and the entire coastal region. These unresolved historical and contemporary land grievances that have been compounded by the effects of climate change have contributed to an upsurge of resource-based conflicts, cattle rustling and banditry.

Other conflicts of great national concern include but not limited to proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, organized criminal groups and gangs, Gender Based Violence among others.

For the last 15 years, under the thematic area of peace and security, MIDRIFT HURINET has engaged multisectoral stakeholders in addressing the complexity of violence thus getting buy-in from actors across society. This approach has created integrated responses that are more effective than one agency response. The organization has invested in changing norms and behaviors by promoting inclusion, participation and dialogue as a way of addressing social norms that promote the use of violence as a means of exerting power, enforcing discipline, or resolving conflict.

MIDRIFT HURINET prides itself as an organization that supports community cohesion and resilience through a people-centered approach that works closely with communities to design, implement and monitor programs based on local understandings of violence and its drivers, thereby earning their confidence and ownership and supporting existing resilience factors. As a way of addressing violence and conflict drivers throughout the life cycle, MIDRIFT HURINET has for many years invested in prevention by addressing early exposure to violence that has been associated with long-term trauma, impacts on brain development, and the development of learned behaviors that use violence to enforce power relations or handle conflict For the last 3 years, MIDRIFT HURINET has empowered and capacity build state actors thus increasing accountability of the state agencies, promoting inclusive and participatory approaches to government services, creating room for people-centered conflict resolution mechanisms that avoid violence, and building trust and legitimacy that addresses the perception of exclusion and marginalization.