Together for Peace in Kenya & the Region

In March, 2018, the two main (rival) party leaders of Kenya met for a "magic handshake". This was a first attempt of President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party and Raila Odinga of the NASA Party to end hostilities fanned by the 2017 elections and to foster unity in the country.

The following months, the two leaders took steps to build lasting unity in Kenya. However, tensions among the general population still remain, as many Kenyans are skeptical about the implementation of the proposed plans.

It was within this context that, earlier this month, a Kenya national platform meeting was held in Nairobi. At the meeting, GPPAC Central and East Africa members provided space and opportunities for civil society working on peacebuilding and conflict prevention to seek ways in which they can contribution to peace and stability in the country and region. Key conflict issues in Kenya and the Eastern and Central Africa region were discussed, which fostered collaboration among peace actors and strengthening networking and joint actions for peace. Given the tensions triggered during the two elections (of 2007 & 2017) which has kept the country widely polarised, one of the main outcomes of the meeting was to collaborate more together and with GPPAC.