IWPG welcomes new partners at the Kenya women peace conference 2026

Nairobi, Kenya | At the Kenya Women Peace Conference 2026 in Nairobi, Alice Maranga, chairperson of the Centre for Citizen Empowerment Programme (CCEP) Kenya, said: “Peace begins with me.” 

Keynote speaker Maranga said she has been working with the IWPG since 2015 – three years after it and CCEP Kenya were born.

Maranga described Kenya as “a global country for peace,” adding, “We have done quite good in peace… So, Kenya occupies a strategic position in peace, in Kenya, in the region and globally because we have proved that we can do it as a country.”

She added that Kenya contributes to global security efforts, including economic, social and cultural rights. “In Kenya, security forces are an integral part of global peace,” the CCEP chairperson stated.

“Kenya signed the UN Peace Resolution Treaty way back in 1963,” she informed the conference.

Judith Anyango, IWPG Kenya branch manager, said the historic gathering ensured a shared belief that women have an essential role in building a more peaceful Kenya.

Kenya, she noted, has made significant progress in many areas more than ever. “Women are increasingly making leadership roles, and legal protection for gender equality continues to improve. We also know that other challenges remain.”

She disclosed that many women in Kenya continue to face gender-based violence and discrimination while many families and communities continue to experience conflict and division.

“These realities remind us that peace is not something we can assume; it is something we must actively build together. This is exactly why IWPG Kenya was established.”

“IWPG is more than an international women’s organisation with headquarters in the Republic of South Korea; it is a global network of women who believe that sustainable peace begins with women who are empowered to lead change in their homes or communities.”

Anyango noted that while IWPG is a global network, it has a very local meaning in Kenya. “IWPG Kenya exists because we believe Kenyan women possess the strength, wisdom and leadership needed in transforming our communities.

“Our goal is to build a lasting peace for women who become peace leaders in their families, schools and workplaces they go to.

“We want every woman to recognise that she is not only a beneficiary of peace, but also a creator of peace. That is the future we hope to build together.”

In her address, IWPG chairwoman Na Yeong Jeon said achieving peace begins with families and local communities, adding that when women connect and share their experiences, practical peace is sustainable.

Na Yeong emphasised that sustainable peace requires the active participation of women, asserting that women, like those in Kenya, have a unique role in nurturing dialogue and strengthening social cohesion.

Joyce Kamene, Machakos County Woman Representative in Parliament, congratulated those who embraced the peace initiative. “I see we are going far. You are the ambassadors and make sure every corner in our country is speaking a culture of peace.”

Ahead of Kenya’s elections in 2027 and national cohesion planning ahead of the poll, MP Kamene said Kenyans are counting on you [peace ambassadors].”

“Mine is to request: you represent Kenyans, and once you are given that position, regardless of who has put you there, for the sake of humanity, life is precious; every life counts – whether a father, child or mother.”

She noted that Kenya is greater than an individual. “…I always tell my people that leadership is not a must. If I can see things are not favouring me, or if the favour of God has flown out, let me accept and let the person anointed to lead, lead.”

The conference was held on June 30 under the theme “Women Leading Peace: Connecting Women for Sustainable Peace in Kenya” and featured the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Centre for Citizen Empowerment Programme (CCEP), Uhaki Paralegal Network (UPN), Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (YEEP), and Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children (KAAC).

At the same event, Ugandan Founder and Managing Editor of tndNews, Uganda, Milton Emmy Akwam, was presented with an award in “recognition of his outstanding contribution to spreading the spirit and culture of peace through IWPG peace projects in efforts for the realisation of peace and cessation of war.”