Background: 

Kenya has a history of unequal investment and resource distribution, which is interlinked with histories of cyclical violent conflict. This is particularly the case in the northern regions, where the interplay of political marginalisation, ethnic tensions and cross-border issues creates a complex web of conflict dynamics. Historical grievances, land and resource disputes, ethnic politics, and the marginalisation of certain groups form the core of these conflicts, which have been exacerbated by socio-economic disparities and competition for resources. Private sector investment and development finance has an important role to play to help mitigate these conflict dynamics for communities while also lowering risks that may have material and other negative impacts on their investments.

Peace is critical to the wider enabling and risk environment for investment. Interpeace and its partners’ peacebuilding work in northern Kenya has transformed several key relationships in affected communities. This work, conducted over years with local communities and government stakeholders, has built greater trust and lowered levels of violence and conflict in the north which is fundamental for the stability required to catalyse greater private sector and development finance supported investment. Now, there is significant opportunity to build on increased stability and peace and realise a true peace dividend – but this requires ongoing attention and focus on conflict dynamics as they evolve as well as ongoing conflict sensitivity of investment approaches.

Thus, while the north of Kenya has enormous economic potential, development finance solutions and wider private investment approaches in northern Kenya must continue to be responsive to these complex dynamics in order to be sustainable and successful. Investments that are done in a conflict sensitive and peace positive way can help to better address immediate and ongoing needs of the population and reduce the underlying causes of violent conflict. An emergent paradigm called ‘peace finance’ describes a new approach to investment whereby intentional peace efforts are embedded into investment design to realise peace-positive impacts as well as lowering risk and improving returns on investment.

Event objectives

• Raising awareness of and developing a shared understanding of the key barriers and opportunities to development and investment in northern Kenya
• Exploring how to better integrate peacebuilding considerations into development finance and mainstream investment approaches.
• Discussing the way forward with private sector and government representatives, considering a collective endorsement approach for common investment principles that avoid creating conflict and have the potential to build peace as point of departure for a stable economy and society.

The roundtable ‘Exploring Peace-Positive Investment Opportunities in Northern Kenya’, -organised by Interpeace aims to catalyse a discussion and a collective approach of how investment in Kenya should be shaped in order to be peace-aligned, taking Northern Kenya as an example. In order to maintain momentum, the roundtable builds on a preceding event hosted by the World Economic Forum and the IFC on ‘Scaling Investments in Northern Kenya’ in June 2024.

The roundtable will present the results of an early-stage feasibility study conducted by Interpeace’s Finance for Peace team on ‘Entry-Points for Peace Positive Investments in Northern Kenya’s Frontier Markets’. The pre-feasibility study provides the first step analysis required to map a potential pipeline of investment approaches that can positively impact peace and conflict dynamics in the north of Kenya while reducing risks to investors, and thereby helping crowd-in more investment.

The study focuses on the counties of Elgeyo Marakwet, Mandera and Marsabit. Carried out in Northern Kenya in 2023/2024, the study was based on engagement with key stakeholders, including private-sector representatives, community leaders, government officials, representatives of non-governmental organisations, senior officials from the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) and the North Rift Economic Bloc, local professionals, political leaders, members of think tanks, and members of associations from the three counties.

About Interpeace and its Finance for Peace initiative: Interpeace is an international peacebuilding organisation that has worked on conflict resolution and peacebuilding throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America for 30 years.  Since 2015, Interpeace has been working on strengthening peace in northern Kenya, with significant impact in Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit and key conflict belts in the North Rift. Interpeace’s Finance for Peace initiative is a multi-stakeholder and collective approach that is working practically to change how investment supports peace. 

Finance for Peace works with partners to catalyse a market for peace-positive investment. It works collectively to create standards, market intelligence and partnerships across sectors to build trust, share knowledge and establish networks. Finance for Peace brings together investors, private sector actors, development finance institutions and other development actors, governments, peacebuilders, civil society and communities, to identify innovative solutions that can bring true additionality to investors, as well as more inclusive and peace-positive development. In Africa, Finance for Peace works in close collaboration with the African Development Bank as its prime partner.

Interpeace’s work in Kenya and its Finance for Peace Initiative are supported by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).

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