By:Robert Mutasi
When Lamu County made history as the first Kenyan county and the first local authority in Africa to win the prestigious United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Peace Prize in Tangier, Morocco, the trophy could have ended up on a shelf in the Governor’s office.
Instead, Lamu is turning global recognition into something a mother in Kiunga can taste and feel — clean water from a tap, an early warning before floods, and a more peaceful way to live together.
Lamu County is now exploring how to use the €20,000 (Sh2.9 million) international peace prize to support practical projects that address the most painful challenges facing residents, including water services, disaster preparedness and peacebuilding.
The discussions took place during a three-day visit to Lamu by VNG International, an organisation that works with local governments, following Lamu’s receipt of the UCLG Peace Prize. A key focus was how to put the prize to practical use through a work plan rather than allowing it to remain solely a recognition award.
The Lamu Peace Model that won the award was recognized for integrating peacebuilding with disaster preparedness, climate resilience, prevention of violent extremism, refugee integration and public participation. Governor Issa Timamy said the award belongs to women mediators, youth groups, elders, fishermen, pastoralists and refugee communities who have worked together.
Now that model is being strengthened and documented to share lessons with other local governments facing similar challenges.
For Lamu residents, the impact is direct. Water was a major focus of the visit. VNG International representatives met officials from Lamu Water and Sewerage Company (LAWASCO) and the county’s Water Department to discuss water governance, institutional capacity and community involvement in managing water.
In a county where scarcity of water has often fueled tension between farmers and pastoralists, host and refugee communities, projects like the Kiunga solar-powered desalination project that improved access to clean water in remote border areas while reducing tensions over scarce resources are being seen as peace infrastructure.
Climate change and disaster management were also identified as potential areas of cooperation, with discussions covering the possible use of technology, data and early-warning systems to help communities prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Other areas discussed included using technology to improve public communication and access to reliable information to strengthen community resilience to harmful misinformation and migration challenges along the Kenya-Somalia border.
Governor Timamy said the county was ready to work with VNG International in peacebuilding, water security, technology, climate resilience and disaster management.
“We are delighted to welcome VNG International to Lamu County. We see this engagement as an opportunity to build a meaningful and lasting partnership that goes beyond individual projects,” he said.
Shee Kupi Shee, who coordinated the mission, said the priority was to move from recognition to implementation.
“For us, this partnership represents a new opportunity to move beyond recognition to implementation,” he said.
For Lamu, which has faced cross-border security threats, terrorism, displacement and climate shocks, the Sh2.9 million may be small in monetary terms, but it is huge in symbolism — proving that local solutions built by elders, youth and fishermen can win global peace prizes, and then return to fill a water tank.
