IOM Kenya Hosts Peace Tournament to Foster Unity Among Communities in Northwestern Kenya

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Kenya has organized a peace tournament aimed at bringing together communities from the banditry-prone areas of West Pokot, Baringo, and Turkana.

The tournament, held under the banner "Enhancing Peace through the Prevention of Natural Resource-based Conflicts in Northwestern Kenya," which was held at Kishaunet Show-ground, sought to promote unity and peace among the neighboring communities.

Governor Simon Kachapin emphasized the critical importance of peace, stating, "We cannot achieve anything without peace, and that is why we are all here. We are all one. To have sustainable peace is a journey, and through sports, people can understand and appreciate their differences and realize we are one. Let us all be champions of peace."

He expressed gratitude to IOM for prioritizing peace among the communities and urged continued peaceful coexistence.

IOM Kenya Chief of Mission, Sharon Dimanche, highlighted the organization's comprehensive peace-building activities funded by the IOM Development Fund.

These activities, which have been implemented for the last 24 months, aim to enhance peace and resilience through various programs.

“We are working to prevent natural and disaster-related conflicts by training youth and women to mediate and prevent conflicts," Dimanche said. "The sports tournament is another way to attain peace and understanding. We appreciate the collaboration with county and national governments and look forward to continuing this partnership."

Speaker Fredrick Kaptui stressed the need for proper structures to handle insecurity and acknowledged the recent passage of a peace-building bill. "We need to embrace peace within our borders despite scarce resources. We commit to partnering to attain peace among our communities," Kaptui remarked.

Present were MCAs Francis Loboo, Shariff Kiptalam, CS Jonathan Siwannyang, CECs Lucky Litole, Esther Chelimo, Baringo CEC Maureen Limashep, representatives from Turkana among many others.