On 9th April 2017, CEEC supported six young men from Karai Ward, Kikuyu Sub County to hold a Positive Masculinities tournament in Gicharani Primary School. The six were part of a team that went through a “Positive Masculinities” training from 31st January to 3rd February 2017 under the DKA Austria supported project “Working with Young men to Combat gender Based Violence. The tournament brought together 17 teams and over 200 fans and it provided an opportunity for the trainees to spread the message of positive masculinities. The ward is infamous for violence generally and therefore the message did not focus on gender based violence only but violence in general. The trainees appealed to their peers to embrace a masculinity that seeks to resolve all forms of conflict non-violently including within and between their teams. The two top teams were given uniforms and balls and the six teams that made it to the quarter-finals got a soccer ball each.
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Kinoo Ward Positive Masculinities Tournament
The fight against Gender Based Violence in Kikuyu Sub County got a boost on Sunday the 9th of April 2017, when young men from Kinoo Ward chose to spread the message through a soccer tournament at Kinoo Primary School. The tournament organizers were part of a Positive Masculinities training conducted under a DKA Austria funded project “Working with young men to combat Gender Based Violence”. The tournament attracted 12 teams, four of which proceeded to the semi-finals. The eight teams that made it to the quarter-finals were awarded with a soccer ball each, while the two that emerged winners from the semi-final matches were each awarded a set of uniforms in addition to the balls. These two teams also got a direct ticket to participate in the Kikuyu Sub-county Tournament to be held at a later date. The trainees and CEEC used the tournament to sensitize over 250 players, fans and other spectators on the need to embrace and foster positive masculinities in order to combat gender based violence.
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Sigona Ward Positive Masculinities Tournament
On 2nd April 2017, the community turned up in large numbers at Kanyanjara grounds to cheer on their own in a tournament organized by youth from Sigona Ward to urge young men to embrace positive masculinities in a bid to combat the prevailing Gender Based Violence. The organizers of the tournament had undergone a Positive Masculinities training under the DKA Austria supported project “Positive Masculinities – Working with Young Men to combat Gender Based Violence in Kikuyu Sub County. The tournament was a culmination of a league that begun in March and saw all the 6 teams in the ward sweat it off for the top positions. The theme of the day was “Who is a real man?” The fans and players were in agreement that a real man takes responsibility, takes care of himself and others, respects others and avoids violence. To drive the point home, the message was reinforced by the slogan “mwanaume sio vita” meaning that the true mark of manhood is not violence. CEEC’s trainees from the ward shared what they had learnt during the training by creating awareness on gender and emphasizing that a peaceful society is one where both men and women respect each other. They implored parents to raise their children with the knowledge that gender is socially learnt and therefore can be unlearnt. Nderi Tarino and Kanyanjara FC were the top two teams who received football jerseys and balls and the remaining 4 teams received balls.
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Women Aspirants’ Visit to the Murang’a County Assembly
Under the second phase of the project Women and Governance: Building the Capacity of Murang’a County Assembly Women Aspirants to vie for the 2017 General Election, CEEC with support from GIZ/CPS conducted a training of 13 women aspirants from 27th February to 3rd March 2017. To help the women have a feel of what to expect if they get elected, CEEC organized a tour to the Murang’a County Assembly which took place on 31st March 2017. Although the county assembly was in recess, the visit was helpful because the aspirants got to learn how the house business is conducted. Topics covered included mandate, roles and functions of the County Assembly, the law making process, the link between the legislative and executive arms of county governments, the devolved functions of the county assembly vis-a-vis the national assembly, decorum in the assembly and the general operations of the house. The session helped the aspirants disabuse some of the myths they had about what they would be able to do if elected. This meant they were now able to engage with the electorate from a more informed position, without promising to do things that were beyond their mandate.
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Kikuyu Ward Positive Masculinities Tournament – “Tuwache Ngori”
Thirime Stadium in Kikuyu played host to Kikuyu Ward Positive Masculinities Tournament on 26th March 2017. The lively tournament that had fans chanting “Tuwache Ngori” which means “let’s stop causing trouble” resonated with the tournament theme of combating Gender Based Violence by embracing positive masculinities. This was under the DKA Austria funded project “Working with young men to combat Gender Based Violence”. The tournament was organized by young men from Kikuyu Ward who were trained on gender based violence prevention and response from 31st January to 3rd February 2017. The trainees took advantage of soccer which provides a wide constituency of young men to spread the message that the youth hold the key in redefining masculinities leading to healthier men, women and communities.
From the initial 20 participating teams, four of them proceeded to the semi- finals on the 26th. All the eight teams that qualified for the quarter finals were awarded balls, while the two that emerged winners in the semi- finals were awarded a set of uniforms in addition to the balls. CEEC and the team officials used the tournament to sensitize the players and their fans on the need to embrace positive masculinities to combat gender based violence. The young men were encouraged to speak against gender based violence, maintain peaceful relations and be agents of change in the society. They committed to stop using their masculinity destructively and instead vowed to use it in ways that are beneficial to them and the society at large.
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Women and Devolved Governance Media Strategy – Inooro Radio Features
CEEC, with support from GIZ/CPS has been working with Murang’a County Assembly Women Aspirants since November 2016 with the aim of strengthening their capacity to vie for the 2017 General Election. This is under the project, Women and Governance: Building the Capacity of Murang’a County Assembly Women Aspirants to vie for the 2017 General Election. The first phase was implemented in 2016 and the second phase started with a five days’ training of 13 aspirants held at SACDEP, Thika from 27th February to 3rd March 2017. During the training, the women identified inability to engage the media due to the costs involved as one of the challenges they were facing. In view of this, CEEC organized for the aspirants to record features at Inooro Radio which aired twice per day from 27th March to 7th April 2017 . The features contained information such as which wards the women are vying in and what they plan to do if elected. This enabled the aspirants reach a wide audience with their campaign messages within their respective wards.
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Murang’a County Assembly Women Aspirants Training
Under phase 2 of the project Women and Devolved governance: Building the capacity of Murang’a County Assembly Women Aspirants to vie for the 2017 General Elections, CEEC with support from GIZ/CPS carried out a five days’ training of 13 women from Murang’a who are aspiring to become Members of the County Assembly (MCAs). The aspirants were drawn from Gatanga, Kigumo, Kiharu, Maragwa and Kandara Sub Counties and it aimed at strengthening the candidates’ capacity to vie for the 2017 general election. The training was held between 26th February and 3rd March 2017 at S.A.C.D.E.P Training and Conference Facility, Thika.
Topics covered included understanding the electoral cycle, manifesto development, personal branding, resource mobilization, campaign management, IEBC timelines as well as grassroots mobilization and organization. The training was conducted within a gender framework in order to help the aspirants understand how the socialization process contributes to the challenges women face when it comes to political participation. This understanding will enable them come up with strategies of handling these challenges. The trainees also had a session with the Murang’a County Member of Parliament (Women Representative) who shared with them her journey in politics and how she deals with the challenges she encounters as a woman leader. The trainees came out of the training with enhanced confidence to face the electorate due to the knowledge and skills they had acquired. With the addition of the 13, the total number of Murang’a County Assembly women aspirants who are CEEC’s alumni is now 31.
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Kura Yako Sauti Yako! Ni Wakati wa Kusikika
The month of February saw the continuation of the second mass voter registration exercise that officially came to a close on Sunday, 19th February 2017. The exercise saw an increase in the number of young people who have registered, thanks to the concerted efforts of leaders who have been traversing the country sensitizing the public. The Korogocho ward MCA Maxwell Ochar is one such leader who toured Ngomongo area on 4th February 2017 urging his constituents and particularly the youth to register. He also visited the mural that was put up on the perimeter wall of Ngunyumu Primary School in Ngomongo, and urged Boda Boda operators and other young people who work and reside in the area to make use of the Sauti Mtaani platform in order to have their voice heard.
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Bado Tuko Ngangari! Bonga na Mhesh!
The Umoja 2 Sauti Mtaani ambassadors are keeping Sauti Mtaani alive. Some of the activities the team, led by their MCA Kingsley Odida are using to do this are clean ups and sports. During the month of February 2017, the team held one such clean-up and a basketball clinic. These events were used to raise awareness about the Sauti Mtaani platform among the youth. In addition to uniforms that the MCA gave to basketball teams, about 100 youth also got Sauti Mtaani branded T-shirts and wrist bands.
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Fighting GBV Through Soccer in Nachu Ward
From 31st January to 3rd February, CEEC conducted a Positive Masculinities training for 26 Kikuyu Sub-County Soccer Coaches and Managers at Victoria House, Kikuyu. The training was conducted under the DKA Austria supported project Working with Young men to Combat gender Based Violence. The participants were drawn from the five wards in Kikuyu Sub County namely, Kikuyu, Sigona, Kinoo and Karai.
After the training, trainees from Nachu ward organized a tournament on Sunday 19th February, 2017 which took place at Lusengetti Stadium. The aim of the tournament which had 20 participating teams and more than 200 fans was to spread the message of embracing positive masculinities as a way of combating gender based violence. Two teams, Barcelona FC and Umoja FC qualified to participate in the Sub-County championship which will bring two teams from each of the five wards together. The two top teams got a set of uniforms and a soccer ball each while teams number 1 to 6 got a soccer ball each. In total, over 400 young men were reached with awareness.