Kenya Elections Electoral Violence Prevention Monitoring

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out projects to a) monitor, assess, and report on the operational effectiveness and respect for human rights of Kenyan state security forces in the runup to and aftermath of the 2022 national elections; and b) engage directly with Kenyan state security officials, political parties, electoral bodies, and civil society leaders to ensure mutual understanding of rights and responsibilities and to advocate for strong measures to prevent, mitigate, and respond to abuses.

Over the past twenty years, political violence has frequently affected Kenyan elections, including following the 2007 and 2017 elections. On multiple occasions, Kenyan law enforcement and security forces have been accused by reputable independent media and monitoring groups of committing extrajudicial killings and other abuses while enforcing public order during periods of political unrest. In the interest of promoting accountability and deterring abuses, the INL Program in Kenya works closely with both Kenyan law enforcement and independent local organizations who can monitor and report on the conduct of law enforcement bodies and their ability to maintain security. This funding opportunity focuses on providing local monitoring organizations with resources to implement new projects or expand existing programs focused on monitoring, preventing, mitigating, and building awareness for the potential for human rights abuses in connection with the August 2022 Kenyan national elections.

Priority Region/Countries Kenya

Project Goal(s)

Kenyan state security force public order operations during the 2022 electoral cycle are subject to independent monitoring and reporting, deterring widespread abuses of human rights. Monitoring documents instances of Kenyan authority abuses as well as violence by private individuals.