The elections are around the corner and we are all praying for a peaceful affair. There are those who have taken it upon themselves to make a special effort to promote an agenda of peace so we can venture in the streets quietly come Election Day and weeks that follow. We want to applaud these ambassadors of peace; promote their projects; and engage You (our esteemed reader), in the process. That is why we are dedicating the month of February to find Nairobi’s #1 Peace Ambassador. For this we need your input and engagement. Go to UPNairobi. com to nominate or vote for that special person you believe deserves to take the prize.

We have started the nominations with a few people we think deserve recognition for their work. Sophie Umazi, Founder, I am Kenyan 19 year-old Sophie Umazi is the founder of the project “I am Kenyan”, and together with her young and dedicated team she is using photography to promote reconciliations and individual responsibility for peace during the upcoming elections To “Stand Up For Peace”, individuals take a photo of themselves with the caption “I am Kenyan” and upload it onto iamkenyan. com or on their Facebook page. The pictures are blown up to black and white posters that will be posted on various media platforms including social media, newspapers, billboards and television adverts across the country.

For more info go to iamkenyan.or.ke Amy Onyonyi, CEO, Teens 4 Peace This 15 year-old CEO of the non-profit organization Teens 4 Peace has taken the lead to engage teenagers in combating tribal and ethnic differences. The organization wants to spread the word of peace through its teenage members. So far, Amy has been a part of raising KES 1.2 million for the Freedom From Hunger project and won a trophy from the Top 40 under 40 awards ceremony, (2012), for her fundraising efforts to push the organization’s agenda forward. Amy is also the youngest ever recipient of the Head of State Commendation (HSC). John Adoli, Director, Kibera Hamlet As the director of the community-based organization, Kibera Hamlet, John Adoli is involved in promoting peace on many different fronts. Through positive encouragement and support, Kibera Hamlet, serves 150 underprivileged adolescents and children, hoping to foster young people in Kibera that will promote sustainable peace and development in their communities “I was born and lived in Kibera, I had a very poor background [but] wanted to change [things],” Adoli says of his involvement in community development.Kibera Hamlet is also part of the “Kibera Walls for Peace”, a partnership with international artist and educator Joel Bergner, and project coordinator Mia Foreman.

The project have 50 Kibera youth studying peace-building and art, helping create murals all over Kibera that promote peace and reconciliation leading up to the elections. “We are also involved with the Rift Valley Railways [because] we are painting peace messages on trains,” informs Adoli. “Different people can get involved [with the organization] especially with the upcoming elections,” he concludes. Rachel Brown, Founder & CEO-Sisi ni Amani Kenya (SNA-K) Rachel Brown came to Kenya as part of her coursework in 2009, just after the 2007/8 election violence.

Through acquaintances and observation, she was able to identify the main drivers and patterns of inter-ethnic and political violence in the country. In 2010, with local peace builders she set up Sisi ni Amani Kenya, (We are Peace) an organization that uses communication to foster peace. The organization gets members of the community to subscribe for free text messages, which are sent to engage communities peacefully in the election process and to prevent and mitigate violence. They currently operate in Eastlands (Baba Dogo, Korogocho, Dandora, Mathare, Huruma, Kariobangi North, Kamukunji), Narok County, Sotik, Transmara West, Burnt Forest, Eldoret and Nakuru.

“What Sisi ni Amani is doing in the lead up to the next general elections… is working to use those same communication channels that before were used to incite violence to instead walk communities peacefully through elections,” she says. Juliani, Musician The man has been busy in 2012, campaigning on the campuses with his “Kama Si Sisi” initiative that is targeting young people in an effort to encourage them to be actively involved in their community and country. Under the “Kama Si Sisi” banner he has launched the Voters vs. Vultures campaign that is specifically targeting young people leading up to the elections.

Juliani’s single with the same name is expected to drop in February 2013, and with the obvious link to Boniface Mwangi’s “Ma-Vulture” campaign we are expecting a cameo from the original agitator against the vulture politicians.