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Program Description

USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) launched its Kenya program in June 2008 when a window of opportunity opened following the adoption of the February peace accord and power-sharing agreement. Kenya's competing political parties accepted the agreement in the wake of interethnic violence that followed the contested December 2007 national elections. However, it is uncertain whether the agreement will provide an enduring settlement to underlying ethno-political frictions. The two principal political parties now face the challenge of implementing the power-sharing agreement and recovering from the conflict. In addition to death and destruction of property, many areas of Kenya have experienced population shifts related to ethnicity, as more than 500,000 people were displaced from their homes.

Program Activities

OTI seeks to support key U.S. Government policy goals and contribute to a stable Kenya centered on a national identity rather than ethnicity. In pursuit of this goal, the program assists Kenyan state and non-state actors to more fully exercise their capacities and, thereby, support the following broad objectives:

• Promote and enable a broad-based recovery from the 2007-8 election-related violence
• Take prompt steps to address the underlying causes of instability

OTI began its activities in Kenya by pursuing grassroots peace and development in the epicenters of violence in the Rift Valley through reconciliation dialogues between estranged ethnic groups. These efforts were followed by joint community infrastructure rehabilitation and business-training activities.

In recent months, OTI has increased its support for civic education and local advocacy activities to empower local groups to pursue accountability from their leaders and address the culture of impunity and corruption that lies at the heart of Kenya's ethnic and political tensions.

In addition to its grants activities, OTI seeks to enhance the legitimacy and transparency of the Kenyan Parliament by providing live broadcast capability for parliamentary proceedings via television and radio through a Cooperative Agreement with the State University of New York (SUNY) in Albany.

Fast Facts

For further information, please contact:
Brendan Wilson-Barthes, Africa Program Manager, (202) 712-5072, bwilson-barthes@usaid.gov.