Assessing Community Attitudes Towards Violence, Safety and Security, Kenya and Somalia

Country / date: Kenya, Somalia (2012)

Partner: Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Project objective(s): The project aimed at undertaking a pilot study in Somalia and Kenya on roles and perceptions of international actors in the context of preventing violence, as well as understanding perceptions of security and insecurity providers. The research was based on focus group discussions with selected groups and key informant interviews with key stakeholders in the region.

Project outcome(s): In order to achieve security goals and support development, the international community has increasingly focused on East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Specifically, there is renewed dialogue around issues related to the most effective ways to prevent violence in the region. During this project, key informant interviews were conducted with carefully selected stakeholders working with UN, bilateral government agencies, INGOs and national organisations. In Hargeisa and Mombasa, the team conducted interviews with key interlocutors in partner organisations as well as focus group discussions with youth groups, women’s groups, elders, religious groups and financial leaders.

The key outcome of this research included an analysis of stakeholder perceptions on violence prevention and detailed recommendations for stakeholders interested in formulating and implementing regional programming.