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Gender, SDG 16, Peacebuilding and Development in Kenya

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The Palgrave Handbook of Religion, Peacebuilding, and Development in Africa

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Abstract

Since the 1980s, writings on peace research have promoted a basic starting point, which is the feminist claim that women exist and must be recognized in their diverse activities, experiences and contexts. In Kenya, several groups and communities mobilize for different causes, such as peacebuilding and development. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 16 is “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. Peacebuilding measures in Kenya take into account the community’s development frameworks and incorporate local actors, which goes a long way towards preventing recurring violence. This chapter introduces the peacebuilding and development landscape in Kenya. It considers SDG 16 in the Kenyan context and proceeds by unpacking four SDG 16 targets within the Kenyan context, namely targets one, three, seven and ten. The chapter devotes a section to interrogate feminist critiques of peacebuilding and development in Kenya. It concludes by reflecting on how SDG 16 is fundamental because it frames the promotion of sustainable peace as a development issue. Further, it provides three plausible recommendations in relation to SDG 16 in Kenya within the context of peacebuilding and development in Kenya.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Religion, Theology and Philosophy, Maseno University, Maseno, Kenya

    Loreen Maseno

  2. Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Loreen Maseno

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  1. Loreen Maseno
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Maseno University, Maseno, Kenya

    Susan M. Kilonzo

  2. University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, Zimbabwe

    Ezra Chitando

  3. University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Joram Tarusarira

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Maseno, L. (2023). Gender, SDG 16, Peacebuilding and Development in Kenya. In: Kilonzo, S.M., Chitando, E., Tarusarira, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Religion, Peacebuilding, and Development in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36829-5_39

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