Non-Governmental Organization dubbed Center for Transformational Leadership Kenya (CTL) has commenced a program aimed at addressing conflict triggers and ensuring cohesion in Nakuru County.
The program ‘the Kenya Electoral Conflicts Mitigation & Civic Education (ECCES) is supported by USAID Kenya through Act and UraiaTrust.
It involves holding community sensitization forums with an aim to mitigate conflicts and through addressing underlying conflict triggers.
Peter Rono from CTL says the sensitization forums are inclusive of Nyumba Kumi clusters, administrators and other organized groups.
Already such engagements are now taking place in Njoro, Molo and Naivasha sub counties in Nakuru.
Speaking during a such a forum held at Njoro AIC church, Rono stated that these conversations are community driven to find a solution.
In Njoro, it emerged that there were land issues among them succession, land grabbing and political interference.
“We have seen issues around land being a conflict trigger. Matters such as succession as well as land grabbing” he said.
Rono called on locals to embrace the program and be ambassadors of peace even as sensitization continues.
He added that the majority of conflicts can be addressed if individuals can start conversations even at family level, hence the reason for the sensitization forums.
“We need to start these conversations even at family level and this will help in averting the conflicts escalating” he said.
It should be noted that Njoro is one of the sub counties that have had perennial land conflicts for many years, in some cases leading to displacement and bloodshed.
The sub county has huge parcels of land that were initially owned by white settlers before they left and were sold to locals.
Parcels of land bordering Mau Forest has also been a bone of contention between the communities and the government.
In addition, misunderstanding between members of families on succession and inheritance of land has also escalated land conflicts.
However, through the CTL’s program, elders and senior citizens are now embracing the community conversations towards finding solutions.
The senior citizens have vowed to be ambassadors of peace and cohesion through community sensitization meetings.
Their main target in such forums are young people who are prone to be used by agents of violence and conflicts to cause havoc in society.
Led by Nyumba Kumi chairman Elkanah Aura said most conflicts are caused by inciters who want to achieve their own interests.
According to him, issues of historical injustices should not be used to incite individuals at community level.
While noting that Njoro is a cosmopolitan sub county, the Nyumba Kumi chair who also sits in the Council of area Chief said as elders they will continue to sensitize young people to embrace every community in the area as enshrined in the constitution.
“We have decided as elders in this area that we shall make things right from families to the community. We want to talk to our young people and sensitize them on the need for cohesion” he said.
Under the program, the elders are also looking at the future of young people even as land becomes limited due to rising population.
Their appeal to the young people is for them not to focus so much on the ancestral land but rather work to acquire their own.
Njoro Youth Leader John Njoroge on his part appealed to the government to step in through the shamba system to allocate land to the communities for farming.
Njoroge points out that there is need for more sensitization of the young people on cohesion for peaceful co-existence.
“We want to laud the senior citizens of this area for their effort in ensuring cohesion for the communities living in Njoro. The young people are key in matters of cohesion and should not be left out” said Njoroge.
CTL has been strengthening special interest groups’ participation in building social cohesion.
While noting that Nesuit, and Mariahsoni areas of Njoro have been prone to land, resource conflicts, Rono pointed out that there is a need for elimination of negative attitude of Kenyans on land issues and to cultivate the spirit of cohesion.
Area Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) Patricia Korir who attended the forum on his part pointed out that Land issues are sensitive hence the need for more sensitization forums to equip society with the right information.
