In the arid landscapes of North-Eastern Kenya—where insecurity, exclusion, and underdevelopment have long defined the narrative—a quiet revolution is unfolding. Through the Promoting Peace and Inclusive Development project, jointly implemented by UNDP, OHCHR, WFP, and the Executive Office of the President, communities in Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera are rewriting their story, not through conflict, but through dialogue.

At the heart of this transformation lies a simple tool: dialogue. In the first half of 2025, a second round of county-level community forums were held in Garissa, Mandera and Wajir County, convening over 300 youth, women, elders, religious leaders, and local administrators in structured conversations on peace, development, and inclusion. This participatory engagement—organized under the Promoting Peace Project—served a dual purpose: rebuilding trust and ensuring community ownership in the wake of significant national investments, including the anticipated construction of the Isiolo-Mandera highway.

Rebuilding Trust in Fragile Contexts

Borderland counties such as Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa have historically suffered from marginalization. Despite extensive government and donor projects through the North and North Eastern Development Initiative (NEDI), supported by the World Bank, community awareness and satisfaction remain low. Different development actors have repeatedly highlighted a critical weakness—project duplicity, lack of community consultation, and gaps in feedback loops.

The consultative forums aimed to correct that. By engaging community members directly in conversations about the NEDI project, peacebuilding priorities, and upcoming infrastructure projects, the forums created a channel for bottom-up accountability. In the words of one youth participant from Iftin Ward, Garissa: “For once, we are not just being talked about. We are being listened to.”

Such engagement fosters trust—not only between citizens and the state, but also among historically fragmented communities. In conflict-sensitive regions, this social cohesion is the cornerstone upon which all sustainable development must rest.

Inclusion as a Development Multiplier

Inclusivity was not a mere slogan in these forums—it was operationalized. The dialogues were segmented by stakeholder groups: Day 1 focused on youth, Day 2 on women, Day 3 on elders and religious leaders, followed by a session with security and administrative officials. This structure ensured that each group’s perspectives, concerns, and aspirations were documented, analyzed, and relayed to both county and national actors.

From young women seeking safer access to education, to elders advocating for intergenerational knowledge exchange, and youth demanding accountability in county procurement and employment opportunities, the feedback was diverse—but uniformly powerful. Each contribution is being used to inform the implementation plan of the project and guide the forthcoming phases of the road project by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and National Land Commission (NLC).

These forums are not merely a democratic exercise—they are a strategic imperative. Evidence shows that when communities participate meaningfully in decision-making, project failure rates drop dramatically. Infrastructure investments become more durable. Peace dividends become tangible.

Coordinated Communication as a Governance Tool

One of the successes of the forums was the real-time documentation and analysis of concerns. Through tools supported by UNDP, the project team captured community grievances, expectations, and suggestions, which are now feeding directly into the County Coordination Mechanisms being strengthened by the Executive Office of the President.

This systematized feedback loop demonstrates the powerful nexus between development and communications. In fragile regions, mistrust and misinformation often escalate tensions. Transparent and inclusive communication mechanisms—especially those rooted in local languages, digital media, and community forums—are critical enablers of conflict prevention and development effectiveness.

Partnerships: why collaboration matters

The Promoting Peace Project is a product of multisectoral collaboration. It brings together the Government of Kenya, development partners, civil society, and the United Nations under a shared vision. The Executive Office of the President, in particular, has shown strong leadership by anchoring the consultative dialogues in national peacebuilding strategies and infrastructure planning.

Moving forward, this model should be scaled across the region. By fostering deeper alignment between national projects and local realities, such partnerships can unlock new pathways to resilience, security, and prosperity.

 Lessons and the Road Ahead

1. Participation strengthens outcomes: When people are part of the process, they protect the outcomes. Community consultations are not ancillary—they are a form of insurance for development success.

2. Feedback builds accountability: A government or donor project without an accessible, accountable feedback mechanism is incomplete. Institutionalizing feedback loops builds trust and responsiveness.

3. Inclusion is Not Optional: Women, youth, persons with disability, minority clans and other marginalized voices must be centered from the outset. Development must reflect the diversity of those it seeks to serve.

4. Peace and Development Are Two Sides of the Same Coin: You cannot build roads on shaky social ground. Inclusion, justice, and dialogue must precede the concrete and asphalt.

The consultative forums were more than events—they were a statement of intent. A signal that the era of top-down development is giving way to an inclusive, human-centered bottom-up approach. The Development partners and Government of Kenya must continue to champion such models, not as pilots, but as the new standard.

As the bulldozers roll out for the Isiolo-Mandera highway, the real foundation has already been laid—not in soil or stone, but in the hearts and voices of the people of Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera. That is how peace becomes permanent, and development truly inclusive.

About the Author:

David Ombee is a Communications Professional at UNDP Kenya.