Publikation

The re-occurring mantra of “Kenya as an island of peace in Africa” is belied by Kenya’s history. In many parts of the country, violent conflicts erupt regularly along ethnic lines. Mostly they relate to disputes over access to and ownership of natural resources, livestock theft, or are fuelled by political interests and abuse of power. Large parts of the country suffer from chronic insecurity and high levels of criminality leading to death and internal and external displacement, thus accelerating the conflict circle around resource distribution and land allocation. The post-election vio-lence 2007/2008 marked one of the peaks of violent conflict in Kenya, leaving about 1.200 people dead and 600.000 displaced. It constituted the entry point for the German Civil Peace Service (CPS) engagement. Since then, the CPS programme in GIZ sup-ports the conflict sensitive implementation of the Constitution, strengthens inner Kenyan processes for rehabilitation and reconciliation, and creates sustainable structures for non-violent con-flict transformation. CPS also engages in strengthening conflict-sensitive media work and supporting the advocacy work of hu-man rights actors.