Nairobi County Commissioner David Wanyonyi with Midrift President Joseph Omondi during the launch of the multi-sectorial forum in Nairobi on November 13, 2024/SHARON MWENDE
The Ministry of Interior in collaboration with Nairobi County and Midrift Hurinet have launched the Nairobi County Multi-Sectorial Coordination and Collaboration Forum on Peace and Security.
Speaking during the event on Wednesday at Waridi Paradise Hotel, Nairobi County Commissioner David Wanyonyi said the meeting was based on implementing a circular by Interior PS Raymond Omollo on the formulation and activation of regional, county and subcounty peace and security committees.
The circular in question was released on July 25, 2024, to all regional and county commissioners that required them to establish the forums to bring together state and non-state actors with immediate effect to help keep peace and stability at county and subcounty levels.
The rationale for establishing the forums include promoting peace and security, conflict prevention and resolution, enhancing communication and information sharing, building trust and social cohesion and creating sustainable solutions.
The roles of the forums include facilitating peace education and peace outreach campaign initiatives by relevant stakeholders at grassroots level, identifying peace and security-related threats and risks, and identifying and addressing thematic areas of focus related to peace and security.
Others are promoting mainstreaming of conflicts-sensitive approaching to peace and security, enhancing conflict early warning, responding and facilitating conflict resolutions and dispute settlement, and conducting monitoring and evaluation of peace and security initiatives.
Following the implementation of the circular, sub-county forums will prepare and submit reports to the county forums at least once every month.
The county will then consolidate reports from sub-county forums and submit them to the regional forum at least once every month.
The final step is that the regional forum will submit its report to the PS’s office at least once every month.
Wanyonyi said they have since held a national conference with the regional multi-sectoral peace and security committees, after which they were supposed to launch the same to the counties.
“We are happy because Nairobi has been the number. We are being sponsored by Midrift,” he said.
On his part, Midrift president Joseph Omondi said from the national conference, they will develop standard operating procedures on how to run the committees.
They also looked into how to launch the county launches, which saw Nairobi chosen as the first forum, being the capital city.
Next up, they will launch in Nakuru, Baringo and the other 44 counties.
Omondi stated that there was importance in launching the forums.
“They are important because they bring both state and non-state actors to speak about peace and security,” he said
“We are bringing the Nyumba Kumi, youth, women, private sector and the peacekeepers in a platform to discuss matters peace and security, but also bring our respective reasons whether it’s human or financial.”
