HAKI MTAANI DIALOGUES RESUME ACROSS INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AS SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTRES INTENSIFY PRE-ELECTION PEACE AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION EFFORTS

Grassroots communities take the lead in mapping electoral risks, promoting peaceful participation and challenging political manipulation ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The Social Justice Centres, in partnership with Haki Africa, have resumed the HAKI MTAANI dialogues across urban and informal settlements, renewing grassroots efforts to strengthen community participation, promote peaceful electoral processes and prevent election-related violence ahead of the 2027 General Election.

This phase of the dialogues places particular emphasis on election preparedness, community-led mapping of potential violence hotspots, identification of historically volatile areas, and understanding the underlying tensions that could threaten peace during the electoral period.

Recognizing that informal settlements have often borne the brunt of political violence, intimidation and manipulation, the dialogues seek to equip communities with the knowledge and collective capacity to identify early warning signs, address emerging tensions and resist attempts by political actors to exploit young people for violence.

In Umoja III, the Umoja Social justice center, a community dialogue brought together young people to reflect on their role in shaping the country’s political future. Participants were urged to reject goonism, political incitement and electoral violence, and instead embrace responsible citizenship. The conversation emphasised the importance of voter registration, informed political choices and peaceful participation in democratic processes. Young people were encouraged to exercise their political agency rather than become instruments of violence for political interests.

In Mathare, under the Ghetto foundation, the dialogue took a more targeted approach through community-led electoral and violence mapping. Given Mathare’s history of election-related violence and recurring episodes of insecurity during politically charged periods, participants undertook an exercise to identify potential violence hotspots, historically affected areas and emerging vulnerabilities. The mapping exercise is intended to strengthen community preparedness, inform early intervention and support local peacebuilding mechanisms before tensions escalate into violence.

In Kamukunji, the Kamukunji Youth Empowerment Network (KYEN) convened an interreligious youth dialogue, bringing young people together across religious backgrounds to reflect on their shared responsibility in safeguarding peace and social cohesion. The engagement provided an opportunity to appreciate the role of religious diversity, interfaith solidarity and youth leadership in preventing political and communal divisions. It reinforced the message that, regardless of religious affiliation or political persuasion, young people share a common stake in a peaceful and democratic Kamukunji.

Meanwhile, Kamukunji Human Rights Defenders in Majengo also convened a community dialogue focusing on elections, human rights and peaceful political participation. The engagement provided a platform for residents to interrogate the risks associated with electoral processes, including political intimidation, incitement, manipulation of vulnerable communities and violations of fundamental rights. Participants emphasized the need for vigilance, community solidarity and active civic engagement to ensure that elections do not become a trigger for violence or the erosion of democratic freedoms.

Across these engagements, one message remains consistent: young people must not be reduced to political tools, and informal settlements must not become battlegrounds for competing political interests.

Through HAKI MTAANI, Social Justice Centres are moving beyond conventional peace messaging to facilitate practical, community-driven approaches to election preparedness. By identifying risks, mapping violence hotspots, strengthening interreligious relationships and encouraging informed voter participation, the dialogues seek to ensure that communities are not merely spectators in electoral processes but active architects of peace and democracy.

As the country moves closer to the 2027 General Election, the importance of these grassroots interventions cannot be overstated. Peace cannot be negotiated at the political podium while communities remain exposed to manipulation, intimidation and violence.

It must be built from the ground up, through informed citizens, organised communities and young people who understand that their future is far more valuable than the political interests of those seeking power.

HAKI MTAANI: Organising communities, defending human rights and building peace from the grassroots.

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