Kenyans recall that in early 2008, over half a million people were displaced and 1,300 killed in two months of intensive violence that occurred after the announcement of presidential and parliamentary election results.
It will be remembered that calls for mass action and demonstrations initiated the fighting, killings and destruction of property.
Kenyans will also vividly remember that the year 2008 marked a new beginning when the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation (KNDR) framework came into being.
This was made possible through the mediation process, which was mandated by the African Union (AU) and chaired by Koffi Annan as head of the panel of Eminent African Personalities.
The main aim was to prevent recurrence of ethnic violence and manage the transition period during its adoption in 2008 and other future elections.
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The Koffi Annan panel used dialogue to solve the matters. It was realised that in order to achieve long-lasting peace, sustainable development and harmonious co-existence among Kenyans, there was need for deliberate normative, institutional and attitudinal process of construction of nationhood, national cohesion and integration; thus, the NCIC was born.
NCIC was created to address the post-election violence crisis and mandated “to facilitate and promote equality of opportunity, good relations, harmony and peaceful co-existence between persons of the different ethnic and racial communities of Kenya and to advise government on all aspects thereof”.
The NCIC’s main principle is zero tolerance towards discrimination.
The NCIC’s core values include independence from the Executive, Judiciary and the legislative objectivity in dealing with issues around discrimination, high level of integration within the commission, open-door policy to all and sundry, affirmative action in aid of the vulnerable and the minorities, high degree of accountability and transparency and tolerance to varied opinions, beliefs and aspirations.
The NCIC identified ethnic mobilisation as one of the key factors that have the potential to trigger future violence and developed appropriate mechanism for monitoring early warning signs and indicators with suitable tools, measures and interventions in order to reduce tension among communities.
Thus, the establishment of peace clubs – Amani clubs – was aimed at reducing the involvement of the youth in violence by giving them skills of citizenship, dispute resolutions and establishment of peer mediation structures and peace education activities in the schools and through them, inculcate the appreciation of diversity amongst pupils and students from different ethnic, racial and religious communities.
In order to accomplish and implement the peace education objective, NCIC in partnership with the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST) supported by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) developed guidelines through peace clubs in primary, secondary schools and institutions of higher learning hoping to inculcate the appreciation of diversity amongst pupils and students from different ethnic, racial and religious communities.
Whereas NCIC continues to work with various sectors and partners to ensure the fulfilment of its mandate, it has endeavoured to invest in the youth, especially in learning institutions. This is enforced by the reason that young people in school are at an age of experiencing and accessing a lot of information.
Their mindset and attitude are malleable and are therefore crucial to inculcate values of diversity and tolerance in them as once out of school, they become a bigger voter bloc and play a signature role in shaping the destiny of the country.
Therefore, targeting them in school and equipping them with the right values and virtues before they exit to the larger community can be effective in promoting national cohesion, tolerance and integration.
Whereas the truth is that the NCIC should be practical to its objectives and purpose of which it was mandated and established, it is urgent that all Kenyans of goodwill uphold national unity and values as we approach the 2017 elections.
May God bless Kenya and help us to uphold and prioritise the process of peace making, peace building and peace keeping as a responsibility of all of us at all levels. "Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God" Mathew 5:9 (Quoted from the bible).
At this moment in time, politicians, religious leaders, trade unionists, families, youth groups, women groups, NGOs, arms of Government at the national and county level must as a matter of urgency realise the need for knowledge, understanding and above all God-given wisdom while making major decisions affecting the Kenyan society in which we as a people live – God bless Kenya and may we never again be involved with matters and issues that will trigger and or initiate conflicts which lead to violence.
