For decades, Kenya has experienced ethnic and political conflicts, as well as terrorism in more recent years. From 2007 to 2008, the the country experienced post-election violence known as the Kenyan Crisis, which led to ethnic violence that killed up to 1,400 people. Ethnic and political tensions continue to impact Kenya to this day, along with terrorism from groups such as Al-Shabaab.
Kenyan women have played a vital role in peace processes, and authorities in the regional body the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are pushing for increasingly gender-inclusive peacebuilding in its East African members states including Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda .
In July 2025, IGAD organized a three-day regional workshop on women’s involvement in peace processes in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. The workshop focused on the UN resolution UNSCR 1325, which addresses the impact of war on women, and the importance of women’s participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. The event gathered women peacebuilders from across the region. It also welcomed national stakeholders and regional experts.
The event aimed to ”assess progress, share innovative approaches, and develop practical recommendations to ensure women’s leadership and influence in conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts,” IGAD reported. It also served as a platform for reflection on the barriers to women’s inclusion and leadership in formal negotiations and decision-making processes.
Amina Farah, IGAD’s gender program manager, delivered welcome remarks, stressing the crucial role of women’s full participation in peace processes as part of the momentum across the world created by UNSCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions.
Opening sessions looked at an overview of UNSCR 1325 and its related resolutions. Attendees discussed IGAD’s Regional Gender Strategy 2023–2030, as well as its Peace and Security Strategy. At the end of the day, women mediators from the IGAD region shared their experiences on both the challenges and achievements in women’s inclusion in peace processes.
On the second day, discussions highlighted regional and international good practices that have effectively promoted women’s participation in peacebuilding. Attendees particularly focused on grassroots and civil society contributions. Other topics included institutional coordination mechanisms, highlighting the roles of gender ministries, national steering committees, and peace and security actors. The activities concluded with group work on the role of women mediators and peacebuilders within the IGAD region.
On the third day, attendees worked together on the development of a Regional Roadmap meant to strengthen women’s meaningful involvement in peace processes.
Some results of the event included: A validated draft of the Regional Roadmap on Women’s Engagement in Peace Processes; consolidated recommendations for enhancing institutional coordination on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS); and strengthened networks among IGAD mediators, women leaders, and regional actors.
Kenyan women have played important roles in leading dialogues between warring ethnic groups. In 2014, women led community dialogues in Kisumu and Nandi between groups that had halted trade with one another. These dialogues involved state security actors and religious leaders as well.
Still, more remains to be accomplished on gender-inclusive peacebuilding in Kenya and other East African countries. Women who lead such dialogues often battle with patriarchal cultural norms in their communities in which women are marginalized and excluded from conversations about peace.
At the IGAD Regional Forum for Eminent Personalities and Leaders for Peace, also in July 2025, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services, Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, called on IGAD to institutionalize the inclusion of women and youth in regional peace processes.
Cheptumo cited Kenya’s 2019 National Policy on Gender and Development, which has helped make gender equality more mainstream across political, economic, and security sectors. On women’s role in building trust and reconciliation during Kenya’s post-election recovery, Cheptumo said, as quoted in KBC, “These women-led interventions are textbook examples of how collective wisdom, grounded in community trust, can prevent future conflicts.”
Keywords: Kenya, Kenyan, women, Kenyan women, gender equality, peace, peacebuilding, conflict, conflict resolution, women peacebuilders
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
