A Conflict Prevention and Response Initiative
Early Warning and Early Response
System: The case of the UWIANO
Platform for Peace-Kenya
Presentation made at a seminar
Infrastructure for
Peace organized by Global Alliance of
Ministries and Infrastructure for Peace
from 14th - 20th September 2013, Geneva
Switzerland
By Guyo Liban
In December 2007, Kenyans lined up to vote
peacefully in the country’s General Election.
What followed was a period of turbulence and
turmoil unprecedented in Kenya’s history.
...........................................................
....
However, doubts over the
results of the elections
led to disagreement
between the two front
runners
In its wake, the orgy of violence left a trail of death
and destruction
Leaving behind a people devastated and
scarred
President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga hold First talks since disputed
election
Right Hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga (L) shakes hands with and former
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as President Mwai Kibaki looks on
during a press conference outside the president's office on January 24,
2008 in Nairobi, Kenya.
UWIANO EXPERIENCES: Inception
Uwiano is a Kiswahili word for Cohesion.
Conceived in lead up to the National Referendum on
Kenya’s Constitution, 2010.
Overall Objective
• To provide strategic leadership and coordination in
Kenya’s Peace Agenda
Specific Objectives:
 To build partnerships of peace and cohesion actors at
all levels
 To strengthen conflict early warning and early
response
 To establish a solid foundation for national cohesion
and integration for a peaceful and prosperous Kenya.
Structure of Uwiano
Membership
Phase 1: 2010 Referendum
• NCIC
• NSC
• PeaceNet-CSOs Representative
• UNDP- Financial and technical support
Expanded under the phase 2 to include UN
Women and IEBC
Uwiano Institutional framework:
1. Principals:
Highest policy organ. Provides policy direction to the
platform
Roles
• Strategic leadership
• High level contacts with strategic partners
• Receive and review briefs
• Direct media publicity and campaign;
• Regular media, stakeholder briefings
• Intervention missions to hot spots
• Resource mobilization and donor relations
• Approve resources to be allocated to the partners
2. Joint secretariat:
Technical arm of the platform
Roles
• Implementation of the UWIANO strategy;
• Facilitate Peace Monitors, Field Monitors, and
CSOs in the hot spot areas;
• Information gathering and dissemination
(collect and collate);
• Operationalize the “Situation Room”;
• Provide regular briefs to the Principals’
Committee
……………………………………………………
• Conduct field missions and implement response
interventions;
• Ensure smooth flow of resources and materials
to the partners at local level;
• Prepare IEC materials and media publicity
campaign messages and materials;
• Document and disseminate the UWIANO
experiences;
3. Data Management and Support Team
Roles:
• Technical and analytical support to the JS and the PC.
• Management of the UWIANO nerve centre
• Identifying user requirements and developing
appropriate management information systems
• Constant troubleshooting
• Retrieval of information
• Verification and analysis of information and
dissemination of data;
• Recommend response actions;
• Preparation of Briefs, Press briefings and generating
daily and weekly reports
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
1. Crowd Sourcing
▫ Free Public SMS
▫ Email input through monitored site
2. Media Sourcing
▫ Newspapers
▫ Radio
▫ Television
▫ Blogs (Facebook, Twitter)
3. Peace Structures
▫ Peace structures / Peace Monitors and others
in the NSC structure via new NCEWERS
Situation Reports
Mode of Operation
• Information relayed to the situation room through the
system on http://www.nscpeace.go.ke/ncewers which
has access rights and http://www.nscpeace.go.ke/108
open to the public
• Information also relayed through mobile phones and
emails
• Verification of the information to determine its
credibility
• Analysis of the information and scenario setting
• Communication to the relevant actors for intervention
• Follow up and documentation
The Nerve Center
Situation Room-NSC
Components of the Uwiano Initiative
•
•
•
•
•
Conflict Mapping
Media and publicity campaigns
Consolidating Partnerships
Development of the SMS Platform
Data collection analysis and dissemination
Type of Messages, Informative, positive message,
threat, hate speech coded message or incitement
to violence.
• Emergency and Rapid Response
▫ Emergency Response Fund (ERF)
•
Documentation of the peace process
UWIANO Key Results
• Peaceful referendum
• Consolidation of partnerships at national and
local levels for effective coordination.
• Conflict prevention and resolution through
community scans and rapid responseStrengthened conflict early warning and
response to potentially violent conflicts
• Containment of hate speech
• Facilitation of community dialogue on topical /
emerging issues including the ICC process
• Proliferation of other actors carrying out EWER,
M & E etc
Factors that contributed to success
• Strong partnership of committed and willing partners.
• Effective response mechanism as each member has a
niche in a particular area (comparative advantage)
• Existence of peace architecture e.g. DPCs
• Supportive donors
• Contribution of the media
• Demarcation of the country into zones for effective and
efficient management of information and response
• Active Citizen participation
Challenges and Constraints
• Financial limitations. The lower funding
levels compared to the Platform’s actual
expenditure
• Response Challenges particularly during the
General Election
• Decision making. At times slowed down by
relatively large and varied partnership
• Issue-based challenges e.g. What was and
what was not hate speech.
• Large and overwhelming stream of information
from the citizens
Lessons learnt
• Peace building and conflict management should be
inclusive and involve all the affected stakeholders in
addressing the conflict issues in a given context.
• Community participation in conflict prevention and
resolution is an essential building block for conflict
management interventions.
• Timely and effective response is essential in resolution
of conflict and settlement of disputes.
• Inter-agency collaboration is key to the success of the
platform.
•
……….
• District Peace Committees (DPCs) have proven to be
valuable interface structures between the government,
community leaders, CSOs, and FBOs when responding to
conflict and insecurity situations.
• The role of women as key actors is essential for the
effective implementation of peace building and conflict
management activities.
• Inter-agency collaboration is an absolute necessity for
successful peace building and conflict prevention
interventions. Each partner brings in strengths
emanating from their respective mandates and capacities
and approaches to conflict prevention and peace
building.
Way forward
• Deepening the collaboration and coordination
among and between members and partners.
• Documentation and continuous learning and
information sharing.
• Increase funding to UWIANO
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THANK YOU!