Violence during elections:
Meet the people breaking
the long-standing cycle of
violence in Kenya
Violence during elections: Meet the people breaking the long-standing cycle of violence in Kenya
It is election year on the
African continent, with several countries
going to the polls. In Kenya,
elections have historically been
marked by violence.
However, the latest election campaign
was an exception, and on this page,
you can meet some of the people
behind the success.
Once, they could hardly be
in the same room – today, they are
fighting violence together.
KENYA
It is election year on the African continent, with several countries going to the polls. In Kenya, elections have historically been marked by violence. However, the latest election campaign was an exception, and on this page, you can meet some of the people behind the success.
Once, they could hardly be in the same room – today, they are fighting violence together.
Text and photo: Marie Torp Christensen
Confetti is drizzling down in the hotel’s conference room, which is decorated in green and blue. A few handfuls of people are smiling broadly at the participants on the stage.
One of those who smiles the widest is Joseph Omondi.
He is the Director of DIGNITY’s partner organization in Kenya, MIDRIFT HURINET, which has released a new report based on the organization’s efforts to make Kenya’s 2022 elections the most peaceful in the country’s history.
The ‘Creating Peaceful, Fair and Non-violent Elections’ report by two renowned Kenyan researchers is the culmination of decades of work to break the cycle of violence in the Nakuru region, where several areas have been dominated by election-related violence and unrest since 1992.
»We managed to start a conversation even before the election campaign about what a peaceful election could look like, « says Joseph Omondi.
»We are continuously creating communities of practice after knowledge has been imparted. Hundreds of community leaders, state actors, and other society influencers we have trained to prevent violence, among other things, have helped us achieve our goals,« .
Since 2016, MIDRIFT HURINET has trained 570 local leaders. They include representatives from the security sector, the Ministry of Education, the media, strong voices in the community, and politicians.
Together, through 10 modules, they have worked among themselves, and reflected on their influence on the community learning what creates conflicts and how to solve them, all together, giving them a common language and understanding that they use to create safer and less violent neighborhoods.
Joseph Omondi is the Director of DIGNITY’s partner organization in Kenya, MIDRIFT HURINET.
It's all about who's in the room
It’s hard to ignore division and violence when telling the story of Kenya’s democracy. The country has more than 42 ethnic groups, the three largest of which are the Kikuyu, Luhya, and Kalenjin.
»We can see the change that our violence prevention programs are creating for those living in areas where we have worked and trained 570 change makers«
The ethnic groups have a tradition of fighting each other, cooperating, and supporting and promoting different political candidates.
In 2007 and 2008, post-election violence reached an all-time high with more than 1,100 people killed, 650,000 internally displaced, and six people, among them two political candidates, were faced with charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC).
In the wake of the 2007 elections, Joseph Omondi decided to start the organization MIDRIFT HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK to combat violence in Kenya.
»I was motivated by ensuring justice for the victims of violence. If the victims don’t get justice, the violence repeats itself again and again. Violence becomes normalized, « he says.
Divisions between, for example, ethnic groups with a tradition of fighting each other – as well as different political beliefs – are what MIDRIFT HURINET is trying to address in their programmatic work; through their violence prevention training, the organization gathers the participants in teams where they collaborate across different sectors. Their programmatic work also aims to help the participants understand each other’s perspectives. This helps them build a sustainable relationship that can trickle down to other members of the conflicting communities.
»We’ve had participants who couldn’t look at each other in the first module because the resistance was so strong, « says Joseph Omondi, who has seen how the program’s ten modules of 1.5 days each of six months, organized as development workshops, have changed both the participants and their relationships with each other.
»It is amazing to see how they are working together to change their communities and are living proof that cooperation, coexistence, and peace are possible.«
The next stop is Nairobi, and then the rest of Kenya
So far, MIDRIFT HURINET has mainly focused on the areas of Baringo County (Baringo Central, Baringo South, Tiaty East, and Tiaty West sub-counties), and Nakuru County (Njoro, Naivasha, Nakuru Town West, and Nakuru Town East sub-counties) because these areas have been hot spots of election-related violence since 1992
»In my estimation, there is potential for the program to expand to other parts of Kenya and make a difference far beyond the borders of Nakuru region«
Recently, a team of participants from Nairobi (Kenya’s capital) was the first to complete the full 10-module training, with the organization’s Director emphasizing the need to extend such efforts into more regions of Kenya so that elections can similarly follow a more peaceful path in 2027.» We can see the change that our violence prevention programs are creating for those living in areas where we have worked and trained 570 change makers, « says the director.
It’s not just Joseph Omondi who can see the difference. Patrick Mutahi, one of the two researchers assigned to document the impact of MIDRIFT HURINET’s work, believes that the approach has been crucial.
»They have brought together actors from civil society, the state, and the media, a new method and a different way of working with the challenges. The wide range of participants is crucial to the great impact that the programs have.«
»In my estimation, there is potential for the program to expand to other parts of Kenya and make a difference far beyond the borders of Nakuru region, « concludes Patrick Mutahi.
Back in the hotel conference room, the confetti has fallen. The work to prevent violence continues, and the report with the results is an important stepping stone to reaching even further and making Kenya safer—both in everyday life and when the election campaign is rolling.
Research. On the release day of the report ‘Creating Peaceful, Fair and Non-violent Elections’, which was prepared by two renowned Kenyan researchers.
READ THE RESEARCHERS’ CONCLUSIONS
MEET THOSE WHO FIGHT VIOLENCE AND BUILD BRIDGES FOR PEACE
Ben Ouko from Nairobi
Silas Rotich from Nakuru
FACTS:
HOW DIGNITY AND MIDRIFT HURINET WORK TOGETHER
In Nakuru, DIGNITY works with the organization MIDRIFT HURINET to prevent violence in local communities, train local health workers in psychological first aid and PM+, and build trust between citizens and authorities in promoting local leadership.
DIGNITY has been working with MIDRIFT HURINET in Kenya since 2014. The work is supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read more about how we reach 250 people a month with psychological first aid →
FACTS:
FROM GUATEMALA TO KENYA
The basic idea for the violence prevention programs that MIDRIFT HURINET is developing in Kenya with DIGNITY originated in Guatemala. That is where DIGNITY and the Research Centre for Violence Prevention in Central America (CIPREVICA) developed the methods to prevent violence.
DIGNITY actively ensures that our partners across countries and sectors learn from each other and develop together. Therefore, there has been a strong collaboration between MIDRIFT HURINET and CIPREVICA over the years, just as there is also a collaboration between MIDRIFT HURINET and organizations in both Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa.