The Drylands Learning and Capacity Building Initiative (DLCI) and Saferworld convened a National Policy Dialogue in Nairobi, bringing together leaders from across Kenya’s border counties to forge a shared vision for peace, resilience, and inclusive growth.
The forum brought together members of Parliament from Turkana West, Kacheliba, Turkana South, and Kapenguria constituencies, speakers of the county assemblies from Turkana and West Pokot, civil society representatives, private sector leaders, peace ambassador Tegla Loroupe, and the Special Envoy for the Ateker region, Hon. John Munyes.
Building on recent county and cross-border engagements, the dialogue created a bridge between local realities and national policy frameworks.
Participants undertook a candid review of Kenya’s peace and resilience policy landscape, highlighting persistent challenges such as weak enforcement of laws, fragmented frameworks, and the limited inclusion of women, youth, and marginalised communities in decision-making processes.
Speakers stressed that sustainable peace requires addressing these systemic gaps while centering inclusivity in governance.
Discussions also underscored the peace dividend of investment, noting that markets, livestock corridors, water infrastructure, and green growth opportunities can provide stability for borderland communities while fueling economic development.
According to an update from DLCI, linking peacebuilding with development, participants emphasised that communities can be transformed from zones of vulnerability into engines of opportunity.
The dialogue concluded with broad endorsement of priority policy actions, calling for greater coordination between county governments, national institutions, IGAD, and grassroots actors.
Leaders also reaffirmed that lasting resilience in Kenya’s borderlands depends on elevating the voices of pastoralists, women, and youth in shaping national responses.
Speakers agreed that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice, opportunity, and shared prosperity.
With strengthened collaboration and a focus on inclusion, participants are committed to translating the dialogue’s outcomes into tangible action for a more peaceful and resilient future in Kenya’s border regions.