National steering committee on Peace and Conflict Trans Nzoia branch want the Mabanga accord re-looked at to help provide a framework for post conflict management.
Speaking Thursday during a training session on peace at a Kitale hotel, the Trans Nzoia branch committee chair Rev. Nathan Chesang’ said that the Mabanga accord helped to address community reconciliation through negotiated democracy.
The Mabanga Accord aimed at resolving causes of conflict that included perceived political domination, discrimination, tribalism and non-proliferation of arms in both Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties.
The accord has since seen communities, majorly Bukusu’s, Saboati’s and Iteso share positions in the devolved unit as a way of managing conflict.
The committee recognized that the accord, once re-looked at can help the two counties manage conflict ahead of the 2022 politics.
The county commissioner Samson Ojwang who closed the two-day training said that the committee should be able to detect early warning signs and bring on board mediators and negotiators besides embracing dialogue.
“The 2022 politics is already in the air and we should be able to detect hate speech which is an early warning of conflict. We are aware that there is a feeling of betrayal among politicians and we should be able to work on this in good time,” he said.
He said that the committee is going to work closely with Nyumba Kumi to firmly deal with people out to cause conflict.
“We are already reaching out to local leaders on agenda peace and have already established sub county committees to reach out to people at the grassroots,” he said.
The county commissioner however warned perpetrators of hate speech that the government will firmly deal with them.
The NSC is a state agency of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination established in 2001 and focuses on promotion of sustainable peace through collaborative institutional framework between the state, non-state actors and communities.
By Pauline Ikanda
