The Justice & Peace Facilitation Focus

Background information

The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) was established as a commission nationally and in the diocese in 1988. The commission is also a programme in the diocese under the Social Development Section and has a coordinator who coordinates its activities and works closely with the chairman of the commission. The CJPC has a structure that starts from the small Christian communities to the diocese. It therefore comprises of representatives of the SCCs, Outstations, Parish and Deanery Commissioners and the Diocesan Executive Committee of the commission.

Areas of intervention

• Conflict management and Peace building.
• Civic Education and Governance issues
• Para-legal training.
• Formation and capacity building of Justice & Peace commissioners.
• Lenten Campaign
• Lobby and Advocacy
• Networking & Collaboration with related organizations.

Achievements

• One TJRC National w/shop for Coordinators organised by CJPC National and KNCHR and thereafter send 6 commissioners attended a TJRC Metropolitan level w/shop in Machakos.
• Undertook peace and reconciliation activities Mulot and Lemek parishes in Narok  under Oltepesi cultural institute
• Conducted one diocesan meeting on land issues including the church lands. The meeting was attended by 17 people representing 17 of the 29 parishes of the diocese.
• Several meetings on the TJRC, Constitutional Review and Waki report have been undertaken by the commissioners in at least 12 parishes
• A national w/shop by CJPC and CEMIRIDE on Lobby and Advocacy.
• A National meeting on the review of CDF Policy.
• Constitutional review w/shop for the Clergy and the Religious in Nakuru which involved Nakuru, Kericho and Ngong dioceses. 12 persons from Ngong Diocese attended.
• Participated in the National Lenten Campaign in Lodwar
• Conducted Diocesan Lenten Campaign in Kilgoris deanery.
• Gave a talk on the same in Naroosora, Ngong and Loitokitok Parishes
• A talk on Good Governance to the Diocesan Pastoral Council was given by Mr Tom Kagwe of Kenya Human Rights Commission in August 2009.
• Participated in several meetings to address the food situation in the diocese together with other stakeholders.
• Relief food worth Ksh. 3.2 million was distributed in June/July 2009 to 11 parishes reaching over 3,000 people.  Parishes were: Ewuaso Kendong, Kiserian, Kajiado, Lenkisem, Magadi, Loitokitok, Mashuuru, Namanga, Entasekera, Narok and Sultan Hamud.  The food distributed comprised maize flour, beans, cooking fat and nutrifit flour.
• Several appeals have been made to partners for support of the program.
• Greater Kajiado district i.e. Kajiado North, Kajiado Central and Loitokitok has established a lobby group to create awareness on status and effects of drought situation and interventions gaps and agree on a coordinated response mechanism.
• Drought situation so far is high and its effects include high food prices, pastoralists migration, high livestock mortality, high malnutrition, supplementary feeding in schools facing water shortage. Less than half of the affected people receiving food aid in the diocese.

Funding:

• No regular funding but gets support from the social development office.
• The commission gets its funding from the Lenten campaign which is an annual activity.
• Several proposals have been developed with the hope that they will be funded to enable the program scale up its activities.