TUVUKE Initiative was launched in 2011, as a countrywide collective platform, whose overall objective was to achieve peaceful, free and fair elections in Kenya. It was a civil society response to wide-spread violence that had defined 2007/2008 electoral process. Targeting violence-prone areas and conflict hotspots around electoral periods, the Initiative sought to take on proactive actions aimed at forestalling planned or spontaneous violence before, during and after the elections by involving communities as agents of peace.
In addition, TUVUKE Initiative sought to promote the participation of women and youth in democratic and electoral processes and ensuring responsible media practices. For the first time since 1992 no citizens were displaced throughout the electoral process and electoral disputes were resolved through the judicial process.
Today, TUVUKE Initiative is established as a consortium of 15 civil society organizations with broad platforms across the country. It is well situated to provide leadership for a peaceful, inclusive and just society. Moving forward, TUVUKE Initiative will contribute to entrenching a sustainable peace movement for inclusive public participation and a culture of constitutionalism in Kenya.
TUVUKE expects five key results from its proposed programs for the next three years:
Responsible and Accountable Media in Kenya;
Women positioned in leadership and decision making arenas;
Improved livelihoods and peaceful co-existence among land and natural resource dependent communities;
Youth linked to democratic and governance processes under devolution;
Safer communities that celebrate diversity and embrace dialogue for peaceful co-existence.