Kenya Transition Initiatives

Project Objectives:

The Kenya Transition Initiative is a project implemented through USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives that advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by contributing to a stable Kenyan policy centered on national identity rather than ethnic identities. KTI was launched in June 2008, in the wake of the devastating interethnic violence that followed the December 2007 national elections, to work towards the restoration of the nation’s confidence and capacity in addressing instability, political marginalization and vulnerability to violence.

KTI aims to achieve its goals by providing fast, flexible, and uniquely targeted assistance to Kenyan state and non-state actors that are conducting innovative transition activities. This strategy helps project staff target pivotal local actors and support small, grassroots organizations to meet the unique needs of the evolving Kenyan environment. Current political issues shaping KTI programming include:

Upcoming national elections in March 2013 which raise concerns of the election violence and mass displacement that have followed three out of the last four national elections in Kenya.
The ongoing International Criminal Court trials of four Kenyans, charged with crimes against humanity for their involvement in the 2007 post-election violence, that threaten to exacerbate ethnic tensions.
The persistent attacks by extremist groups and the recruitment efforts of these groups among Kenyan youth.
The challenges facing the effective and efficient implementation of the provisions of the 2012 Constitutional Referendum.

Project Approach:

KTI works through its four field offices in Nairobi, Kericho, Eldoret, and Mombasa to provide support to local organizations, predominantly through grants. KTI policies and procedures have been designed to enable project staff to award these grants in a flexible, rapid, and fully compliant fashion, as well as to emphasize simplicity, accountability, and transparency. To address the political context and enable local actors to more fully exercise their capacity to manage instability and promote recovery from the 2007 – 2008 election-related violence, these activities have been designed to:

Support grassroots advocacy campaigns to foster peace, reconciliation and peaceful co-existence among members of different ethnic communities.
Mobilize the public and key change agents to promote alternative voices and support peace-building.
Promote policy, legal and land reforms, and constitutional review and implementation.
Enhance livelihoods opportunities for youth, many of whom are unemployed and easy targets for ethnicity–based manipulation by politicians.
Promote free and fair elections, leadership and integrity in the run-up campaign for 2013 elections