Citizens in Action: Making Peace in the Post-Election Crisis in Kenya

It is the purpose of this paper to present in some detail the story of a Kenyan citizen diplomacy group, the Concerned Citizens for Peace (CCP). In the aftermath of the post- election crisis in early 2008, CCP’s interventions helped to rally the country toward dialogue and negotiations, thus serving as a precursor to the formal mediation process that followed.

Taking a largely story-telling approach, it describes the beginnings of CCP, its early interventions, the key activities undertaken, and the interface with the formal mediation process while sustaining an open and inclusive public forum to help resolve the crisis. It presents and discusses the lessons of this experience and the possible implications for peace activists facing future outbreaks of violence in Kenya or elsewhere in the world.