Today, as the world marked the 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞, we joined partners, communities, government actors, young people, and peacebuilders to turn this year’s theme into a call for action: investing in peace is ev.eryone’s responsibility.
Through Act!’s Resilience, Peace and Stability (RPS) and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Programmes, funded by the Embassy of Denmark in Kenya, we convened diverse voices to reflect on what it takes to build peaceful, inclusive and resilient communities, particularly as Kenya looks towards the 2027 General Election.
The conversation was clear:
📢Invest in participatory processes, not last-minute mobilisation.
📢Treat digital governance as a peace and integrity issue, not a side conversation.
📢Use social media and digital platforms for civic engagement, advocacy, and early warning, meeting young people where they already are.
📢Give youth real space to negotiate with political parties, shape issue-based debate, and help define the governance questions that matter.
📢Build public trust in electoral institutions and enhance integrity and public confidence in citizens before the 2027 general elections.
📢Resource local peace structures and create durable networks for accountability and feedback.
A defining moment was the officiating of the “𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞” Peace Memorandum, developed by girls and young women through the 6th Annual Girls Assembly. The Memorandum recognises young women as leaders, peacebuilders, voters, digital citizens, and early-warning actors, and sets out commitments on participation, safety, prevention, digital peace, and partnership. Kibera Deputy County Commissioner Victor Kamonde acknowledged and signed the Memorandum, a reminder that community-led commitments gain power when institutions stand with them.
The commemoration also launched the 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 and the 𝟓 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, a citizen-driven effort to make peace visible and strengthen public commitment to non-violence ahead of 2027.
💡 The message was clear: peace is built every day through dialogue, responsible citizenship, early action, inclusive leadership and the choices we make in our homes, communities, workplaces and digital spaces.
Reflecting on Act!’s journey, CEO Tom Were reaffirmed Act!’s commitment to working alongside government, government agencies and civil society to advance peacebuilding and conflict transformation. As Act! marks 25 years of this work, the commitment continues for the next 25 years and beyond.
