Involve local communities in development projects, Shofco urges State

Shofco CEO Kennedy Odede lauds Kibera residents, Kenyans for conducting peaceful polls

Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), a civil society group,  has called on the incoming government to involve grassroots organisations in all development projects it implements.

Shofco founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr Kennedy Odede, said the informal urban communities have proved that they can maintain peace even during acrimonious times, as confirmed during the just-concluded electioneering period.

 “Moving forward, we need to listen to the voices of the community, these same people have proven that they can maintain peace. As we work in developing the country, let us work hard in bringing them into the negotiation table. We have mostly seen policies that advocate that things move from top to bottom; but now we ask that it should begin with the community members down here. This way, we can change our own lives,” Dr Odede said.

Speaking Tuesday when he led community members in Kibera in celebrating the peace that has been maintained in the country, despite initial fears of tension following the contested presidential elections, Dr Odede said the peace witnessed was a tremendous progress in the right direction.

“Peace is a process,” he said. “It doesn’t happen in a single day. It is about appreciating what happens in the community.”

“Many of us were born here (Kibera) and wouldn’t therefore want to destroy the property that we have worked so hard to get,” he added.

He, particularly, singled out women whom he said, played a key role in peace campaigns across the vast informal settlement.

“Youth are mostly prone to being misused by political leaders. We organised activities such as football tournaments across the country’s informal settlements; to sensitise the youth on the dangers of political violence,” Dr Odede said.

Before the August 9 General Election, community leaders, through the Shofco Urban Network (SUN) had committed to ensure that peace prevails in the country’s informal settlements by spearheading peace talks.

Contested elections usually offer fertile grounds for violence with Kibera and Mathare often being the hotspots of conflicts. In 2007, 2013, and 2017 polls, these were among the informal urban settlements that bore the brunt of the skirmishes. 

This year however, the case has been different, a factor largely attributed to the efforts of grassroots movements which have worked with community leaders to maintain peace in the slums and rural areas.

“We need to remain vigilant and refuse to be used by politicians to disrupt the peace. If chaos erupts, it is us who suffer. Our businesses will be destroyed. We will lose our livelihoods, and our children will miss school.” Dr Odede added.