By Judith Akiedi
In the months before the critical 2013 elections in Kenya, Shalom was constantly on the move. We trained more than 300 people in beautiful Elgeyo County. Shalom also visited the semi-arid lands in the North of Kenya, where many displaced persons fled during the last wave of violence.
Shalom conducted workshops and meetings in Mbara and Ortum in West Pokot, Lokori, Lodwar, Tartar, Korr, Amakuriat, Loyangalani, Isiolo, Moyale and Marsabit, helping to train over 200 participants.
Shalom also trained strategic and influential actors such as the District Peace Committees in Nakuru, Rongai and Naivasha as well as 32 police officers of the Nakuru Police Division. In the Archdiocese of Nairobi, Shalom trained the Justice and Peace commissioners who would be instrumental in their various parishes to mitigate against possible violence.
In Kibera, Shalom trained a group of young people who looked at the possible actions they could take to influence their peers in the prevention of election violence. The elders of the Luo Community in Kisumu asked Shalom to enhance their analytical skills in conflict management, as it had been identified as a potential hot spot for violence.
All in all, over 500 people participated in these workshops – and the Kenyan elections did not see the violence of the previous cycle.
