Armed Conflict in Communities: How Women in Northern Kenya are Creating Pathways for Peace

Peace is a simple five-letter word. For Jenerika Aule from Nasuulu Community Conservancy in Isiolo County, peace means so much more.

The absence of peace is the reason her three children no longer have the hope of seeing their father walk in through the door after a long workday. They would do anything to have just one more conversation with him. Now, all that is left are fond memories of their father and closely held photographs.

On one fateful day, without an ounce of fear or hesitation, Jenerika’s husband had selflessly volunteered to join a rescue mission after a cattle raid. In a tragic turn of events, he and a friend sustained gunshot wounds during the operation.

Regrettably, Jenerika’s husband succumbed to his injuries. But there was no time to mourn. Grieving was a luxury Jenerika could not afford. She urgently needed to figure out how to single-handedly fend for her three young children without the help of her beloved husband and family breadwinner. Where would she begin?

Women, children, and youth are the most affected by conflict, which leaves them vulnerable in every respect. In northern Kenya, many women have weathered the same loss as Jenerika, due to conflict, and are leading the way in peacebuilding in the region. On the 12th of September, more than 500 women from NRT member community conservancies, including Nakuprat-Gotu, Leparua, Nasuulu, Westgate, Ngilai, and Meibae, gathered at Nanapisho Community Conservancy in Isiolo County for NRT’s annual Inter-conservancy Women for Peace Forum.

“The devastating experiences that some of these women have had drive them to advocate for and become champions of peace through the Women Peace Council. Their strength lies in their ability to be the voices of their communities, supporting efforts to prevent planned attacks and engaging in dialogue with the morans,” Qureshi Bille, Chairperson of NRT East’s regional Women Peace Council, explained.

The Assistant County Commissioner for Isiolo County, James Macharia, attended the Forum and assured the women of continued collaboration, urging them to engage morans—their sons—as they are more inclined to listen to their mothers. Speaking at the Forum, which was supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (IADC), Josephine Ekiru, our Peace Coordinator, reported 725 women have been engaged in peacebuilding this year.

Conflict incidents have declined, thanks to their efforts and those of peace ambassadors, and 17 planned attacks have been averted. Peacebuilding is a journey of a thousand miles and every milestone achieved in any part of the NRT landscape is a cause for celebration. On the 21st of September, NRT and partners congregated in Baragoi Town in Samburu County, to commemorate International Peace Day and a year of peaceful coexistence between Baragoi’s Turkana and Samburu communities.

At NRT Coast, Lower Tana Delta Community Conservancy marked Peace Day with a colourful ceremony at Chamanamuma Village and celebrated a decade of peaceful coexistence among the Conservancy’s communities. Regional partners attended the event which was presided over by the area’s Member of Parliament, Hon. Ali Hashako, who lauded NRT for fostering peace and transforming the lives of communities in the region.

Supported by partners including USAID’s People to People Reconciliation Program, the European Union-funded Kenya Rangelands Ecosystem Services Productivity (RangER) Program, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency’s SIDA-IMARA Project, and the French Development Agency (AFD), we continue to make every effort to contribute to national peacebuilding efforts.