Stakeholders strike multi-sectoral deal to foster peace in Mombasa

The stakeholders have agreed to target various sectors like transport, sports, school and socio-economic programs that will help foster peace and completely curb criminal activities.

Tony Kibwana, The Security Services Manager, KPA, who spoke on behalf of his boss Captain William Ruto noted hailed the collaboration, insisting on the need for continued engagement in peace initiatives.

He mentioned that KPA will continue supporting youth development programs such as sports and environmental related initiatives.

He highlighted that in sports, they have a football team with four categories: Bandari A, Under 15, Under 21 Youth, and Bandari Queens, along with basketball and volleyball teams. These initiatives, he said, are part of their efforts to engage and uplift the youth in the community.

He also mentioned that through initiatives like these, they are deeply involved in corporate social investment.

“KPA will continue working with peacebuilding and development actors, civil society and local communities to further peace-positive investments,” he said

The Chairman KEPSSI, Ibrahim Ng’ang’a applauded the continuous support from KPA as he acknowledged the presence of all the representatives of the 6 sub-counties in Mombasa at the training.

Ng’ang’a said that they aim to provide the representatives with educational refreshments to ensure they are up to date with new strategies and methods for building more peace in the community.

He emphasized the importance of providing alternative activities and education to steer youth from criminal behavior.

“We plan that after these committee meetings, we will seek ways to hold meetings with school and parent committees to identify where the issues lie. This is because we face the challenge that when we take these young criminals to court, magistrates often tell us that they are too young to be prosecuted,” he said

He added that most of the youths are known by the community at a personal level, but it is now important to engage with their parents to understand where the problem lies.

Mombasa County Commissioner Mohammed Noor who graced the training announced a partnership policy program with the Mombasa county government to ensure mandatory registration of tuk-tuks into SACCOs.

This move is aimed at curbing rising thefts linked to the sector.

He said that at least 15,000 tuk-tuk operators are targeted in the campaign that will involve them in future peace related initiatives.

“This will help restore r discipline and weed out rogue operators tarnishing the industry's reputation,” he said.

Noor also emphasized the importance of addressing the escalating security concerns in the Coast region, which are largely attributed to youth involvement. He highlighted the need for proactive measures to tackle these challenges.

In attendance at the Training were stakeholders, including sub-county peace committee members and various security grassroots leaders who had convened to discuss security, harmony, and peace-building issues in the county.