2 . LESSONS A . Early Warning Systems to Prevent Extremist Violence in Kenya ( Lesson # 2607 )
Observation :
Election seasons unearth deep-seated divisions within a nation and may trigger violence as a result . Women ’ s participation in early warning mechanisms can mitigate this instability during tense election cycles . This was evident in Kenya ’ s 2013 election , when citizens ’ use of mobile phone technologies to report violent incidents , dispel inaccurate rumors , and disseminate messages of peace prevented extreme violence .
Discussion :
Following the 2007 / 08 Kenyan presidential elections , the country divulged into protracted violence which killed 1,300 people and displaced 650,000 . The violence was fed by land disputes and ethnic divisions and especially by perceptions of electoral manipulation . Available technologies ( phone , email , and internet ) accelerated the pace at which election misinformation spread , escalating local rumors to a national audience within minutes , which contributed to a general sense of panic . Participants in the post-election violence used text messaging to spread rumors , promulgate distribution of weapons , and mobilize attacks .
The non-governmental organization Sisi Ni Amani Kenya (“ We are Peace Kenya ,” in Swahili ) was founded by a forward-thinking woman in the aftermath of this election violence to affect social change through easily-accessible technology . Sisi Ni Amani Kenya ( SNA-K ) collaborated with local peacebuilders from Narok and from Nairobi ’ s Eastlands to analyze conflict dynamics , specifically concerning gaps in communications by local peacebuilders . Since many people in the general population did not have adequate information or means to question rumors , they were highly vulnerable to manipulation and violence . SNA-K identified that text messaging was a key component of spreading misinformation , rumors , and calls to violence . Since internet and mobile phones had been used effectively in 2007 / 08 to incite violence , SNA-K determined that those same mediums of communication could be used in future election seasons to incite peace .
As such , SNA-K established an SMS ( Short Message Service , i . e . text messaging ) platform in partnership with over fifty local organizations as well as the large telecom company Safaricom , which donated 50 million text messages . SNA-K built free SMS programming based on behavior chains outlining each step of how ( mis ) information could lead to violence . These behavior chains identified what types of messages were needed to break the link to violent responses , covering various scenarios such as election fraud or cattle theft .
SNA-K conducted participatory focus groups with target demographic groups ( including young women , young men , older women , older men , community leaders , and people working in transit or commerce who tend to spread information , such as vendors on the road side ) to expound on these behavior chains . Members of each group were asked what kind of messages would influence them not to participate in violence . For example , messages could be sent to people at an outdoor market urging them to question a rumor before automatically spreading it . The types of messages differed for each demographic group , which was why it was so important to include a variety of identities and differentiate by gender . ( Male ) youths who had physically participated in the violence previously
Table
of Contents | Quick Look | Contact PKSOI Page 5 of 34