PEACEBUILDING AND ELECTION VIOLENCE REDUCTION
Kenya’s electoral narrative has often been characterised by systemic failings that often escalate towards inter-communal conflict besides increased VAWG and poor police-public relations. REINVENT’s Election Security work is closely intertwined with peacebuilding and and enhance public order management by the security agencies.
REINVENT PROGRAMME APPROACH
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Provides technical assistance to inform peace and gender sensitive formulation around electoral boundaries review, s touching on peace and security chapters.
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Supports early warning response mechanisms that improve coordination with response capacities of formal and informal institutions at the national, county and community level.
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Success Story
Linking Community Peace Actors to County Election Violence Reduction Rapid Response System
The existence of functional early warning mechanisms for detection of potential triggers of electoral violence and seamless linkages to mechanisms for early response, played a vital role in helping reduce the potential for election related violence and conflict in the Coast region. REINVENT programme supported KECOSCE to train 20 community electoral violence monitors based in Mombasa and subsequently linking them to the Early Warning System which was further linked to the security agencies and the local safety and security structures. In a span of 10 months preceding the election in August 2022, the monitors had transmitted over 668 alerts to the EWER system. The data was used to inform design and implementation of peace building interventions appropriate for responding and preventing conflicts and violence in identified areas. For instance, In the month of July 2022, based on the information/data that had been disseminated to the EWER system by the monitors, a peace and security brief was produced and disseminated highlighting the increased risk of return to crime and violence by reformed youths in Kisauni and Nyali during the electioneering period. The report caught the attention of an organization in Likoni called Pamoja for Transformation which reached out to KECOSCE for a joint initiative to sensitize the reformed youths on the adverse impacts of indulging in electoral violence. During the meeting, at least 40 youths who are leaders of different youth groups received information on electoral violence and how to be resilient during the electoral periods. This effort together with those of other community peace actors contributed to the peaceful election period and saw no election related deaths or violent protests In Mombasa County.