Blog

Youth are 31 percent of Kenya’s population according to the National Population and Housing Census (2019) and yet, they are one of the most politically excluded and economically disadvantaged population groups. In spite of public participation being a principle of governance and a national value, citizens and in particular youth rarely attend public participation forums, as affirmed during CEEC’s community interventions in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Unfortunately, an uninformed citizenry cannot hold its leaders to account, speak out against human rights violations, demand public service delivery or claim the fulfillment of their rights from the duty bearers. This ultimately means democracy cannot thrive. More importantly, in addition to inclusive civil and political participation being a democratic right, it is a crucial pillar for peaceful and stable democracies that respond to the specific needs of the young people.

CEEC with support from GIZ-CPS is putting youth at the centre of their governance in a project dubbed “Promoting Dialogue Spaces: Youth Civic Engagement with State Authorities in Kibra Constituency”. The project which is a follow up of “Dialogue Spaces: Youth Civic Engagement with State Authorities in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements” is building the capacity of youth, MCAs and key community leaders from 4 wards in Kibra Constituency namely Lindi, Laini Saba, Sarang’ombe and Makina on civic engagement. Project activities are Baseline Survey on youth participation in governance, capacity building of youth and duty bearers, community dialogues, media engagement, development of information education and communication (IEC) materials and participation in the county budget-making process. The project is enhancing youth capacity to define and drive their agenda in a healthy and nonviolent way and providing a platform for advocacy on youth inclusive resource allocation and accountability.

Youth sometimes tend to feel like complete outsiders in their country/county, which is likely to fuel frustration, unfairness and exclusion. Therefore, effective youth civic engagement must link youth aspirations with tangible solutions and provide tools for engagement. CEEC with support from GIZ-CPS is putting youths at the center of their governance in a project dubbed “Dialogue Spaces: Youth Civic Engagement with State Authorities in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements”. The project will build the capacity of youth, MCAs and key community leaders from 10 wards in Kawangware, Mathare, Dandora and Korogocho on civic engagement through community dialogues, media engagement and participation in the county budget-making process. The dialogue spaces will guarantee that youth define and drive their agenda and also express their frustrations in a healthy and non-violent way. Participation in budget making process will ensure that youth needs are identified, resources are allocated and there is accountability for the resources expended.

In Policy Dialogue, media engagement is important when raising awareness of issues that require public support and aids in putting additional pressure on key decision-makers. CEEC under the DKA supported Policy Dialogue project, is using media advocacy as a strategy to create awareness of the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse as well as advocate for the establishment of affordable public rehabilitation centers for persons dealing with addictions in Kiambu County. The project trainees, “Kiambu Policy Champions” are taking the message on the effects of alcohol and substance abuse among youth to the community through vernacular radio and TV stations calling on the policymakers to give this problem the attention it deserves.

CEEC with support from DKA Austria and in partnership with local churches is implementing an alcohol and substance abuse prevention program for teenagers in Kikuyu, Kiambu County through basic life skills training. This project is informed by findings from the 2018 CEEC baseline survey on the prevalence and effects of alcohol and substance abuse among 13 – 35-year-olds in Kiambu County. The survey revealed that the age of first use of alcohol and other substances among youth in Kiambu County is as low as 11 years while 1.4% of eleven-year-olds and 28.9% of sixteen-year-olds in Kiambu County have gotten drunk on alcohol at one point in their lives. Reasons for alcohol and substance abuse among the children are peer pressure, stress, desire for adventure and idleness. Life skills training is an effective substance prevention program aimed at building personal competencies in self -management and social skills such as self-awareness, communication, managing relationships, decision-making, problem-solving and drug refusal skills.

As Kenya heads to the 2022 General Election, CEEC with the support of GIZ-CPS is working with young artists to use theatre/arts to advocate for peaceful elections. Guided by the call “Rada ni Peace”, 30 youth performing artists from Kawangware, Korogocho, Dandora, Kibra and Mathare received a three-day training in May 2022 on conflict transformation, civic education and how to use theatre for peacebuilding. The trainees drawn from established theatre groups will be holding theatre performances in their respective areas which will run until October 2022 imploring young people to promote peace before, during and after elections in Nairobi. The theatre performances will be complemented with radio and TV talk shows at Koch FM, Mtaani Radio, Pamoja FM and TV36 Dandora.

As part of the GIZ-CPS supported project on “Cohesion Building: Promoting Respect for Diversity in Five Informal Settlements within Nairobi”, CEEC partnered with Koch FM, Mtaani Radio and Pamoja Fm for a total of 25 weekly Embracing Diversity Talk Shows per station which aired from June to November 2021. The Radio Talk Shows proved to be an appropriate medium to increase awareness and understanding on the importance of embracing diversities due to their vast coverage.

The talk show guest were project trainees and some participants of the Intergenerational Dialogue Forums drawn from Dandora, Mathare, Kawangware, Kibra and Korogocho. With guided questions, the guests engaged on the different types of diversities in their communities, myths and stereotypes surrounding those diversities and how the youth and older generation can work together to promote respect for diversity. With an estimated listenership of over 100,000 people across the 3 radio stations, the Talk Shows amplified the message of peaceful co-existence while urging the youth to resist and condemn political manipulation and use of violence in the run up to the 2022 general elections. Feedback calls from the listeners indicated an appreciation of the topics discussed which they noted were important if the communities were to co-exist peacefully. In addition, the attendance of both a youth and community leader in the talk shows ensured that both age groups had an opportunity to articulate their different needs and strengths necessary for cohesion building.

In an effort to sensitize a wider constituency on the need to embrace diversity, project trainees under the GIZ-CPS supported project “Cohesion Building: Promoting Respect for Diversity in Five Informal Settlements within Nairobi”, joined other organizations in the respective areas for synergy activities. A total of 10 community outreaches (2 per informal settlement) were held in Kawangware, Korogocho, Kibra, Mathare and Dandora between July and November 2021. The outreach activities included talent shows, football tournaments, tree planting, volley ball match, mental health awareness forum and a rap battle bringing together over 700 community members.

The trainees by participating in the synergy activities, got a platform to share on the importance of embracing diversities emphasizing that diversities exist not to divide people but to unite them. The message was complemented with the slogan; “Utofauti Wetu, Nguvu Yetu”, “Our Diversity, Our Strength”. The trainees underscored the message that embracing diversity is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity from ethnicity, age, gender, religion, education, political affiliation among others that defines us as Kenyans.  The outreach activities amplified the message of peaceful co-existence urging the youth to resist and condemn political manipulation and use of violence in the run up to the 2022 general elections. The community members appreciated the effective use of different activities such as talent shows and football tournaments to reach them with the message of cohesion building which was timely.

In May 2021 CEEC conducted a three days’ training for a total of 20 community leaders at Comfort Hotel, Nairobi. The training was implemented under the Project, “Cohesion Building: Promoting Respect for Diversity in five Informal Settlements within Nairobi”, with support from GIZ-CPS. The trainees were from the informal settlements of; Kibra, Kawangware, Korogocho, Dandora and Mathare and were drawn from peace committees, local administration (e.g. Chiefs, Village Elders, Nyumba Kumi), religious institutions and community organizations in the five informal settlements. The training sought to enhance the capacity of the trainees in embracing diversity as well as identifying ways in which they can mentor the younger generations and be good role models to them. The training helped the trainees understand social cohesion, debunk myths and stereotypes surrounding diversities and also strengthen the trainees’ capacity to embrace diversities as well as promote the same.  The training was termed timely by the trainees who committed to work with the youth to promote cohesion in their communities by recognizing, resisting and condemning manipulation of diversity.

Between November 2020 and February 2021, CEEC with support from GIZ-CPS held four series of inter gender forums within the five informal settlements of Nairobi namely; Kibra, Kawagware, Dandora, Korogocho and Mathare. The forums were under the project ‘’Promoting Peaceful Co-Existence in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements during the COVID-19 Pandemic by Combating Gender Based Violence.’’ Fourty (40) youth who went through GBV Prevention and Response training in November 2020 facilitated the forums with the support of CEEC staff. The methodology involved same sex discussions after which both male and female participants came together in plenary to share the outcomes of their discussions and strategize on the way forward. A total 600 youth from the five informal settlements participated in the forums which helped debunk some of the common myths and stereotypes relating to GBV. A key issue that emerged from the discussions was continued victimization and stigmatization of gender based violence survivors by the Police and the community in general. The youth recommended enhanced community sensitization as well as training of Law Enforcement Agents to enable them handle GBV cases more sensitively and effectively.

In December 2020, CEEC held a caravan to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence within five informal settlements in Nairobi. The caravan was part of the project ‘’Promoting Peaceful Co-Existence in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements during the COVID- 19 Pandemic by Combating Gender Based Violence,’’ implemented with support from GIZ-CPS. The project was implemented against the backdrop of a spike in GBV cases during the pandemic. The caravan aimed at sensitizing the community members in the project areas to co-exist harmoniously despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic. That indeed, the enemy is COVID-19 and not each other and the community should therefore shun Gender based violence. 40 youth who received training on gender based violence led in sensitizing the community members in their respective informal settlements during the caravan which traversed Kibra, Kawangware, Dandora, Korogocho and Mathare. Through music and dance, the caravan attracted wide audiences, especially youth who were the main target group. The caravan made stop overs at strategic spots during which the youth performed skits on various GBV themes. They then engaged the audience in Q and A session to ensure the message in the skits was communicated. This edutainment mode of transmission proved very effective because it resonated with the young people.