Projects

The Peace and Security Pillar seeks to enhance social cohesion, community safety and resilience for sustainable and inclusive development. Because of perceived historical injustices including unresolved land issues, the coastal region has in the past experienced land-related conflicts, politically instigated violence, and inter-communal violence. The region has also been characterised by intergenerational conflicts, conflicts between law enforcement and youth, proliferation of youth gangs, and other forms of crime. Significant progress has been made in addressing these issues largely through multistakeholder efforts, but challenges remain. HCO will continue working with the youth to promote accountable and responsive delivery of safety and security services, improve the relationship between law enforcement and the youth, enhance intercommunal and interreligious tolerance, and delegitimize violence as a means of addressing grievances. Further, HCO will continue mentoring peace ambassadors while empowering communities and working closely with state actors to prevent/ reduce social conflict and violence in our communities.

This strategic pillar promotes equitable access to and use of land and environmental resources and accountable land governance. Despite progressive land reforms since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution, equitable access to land remains elusive for the poor in Kenya. The Coast region has particularly been characterised by land issues and land-related conflicts for decades. 

Challenges in the implementation of the Community Land Act have hindered the protection of community land rights as encroachment of communal lands remains a significant problem. In addition, poor and marginalised communities bear the brunt of hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they hardly benefit. HCO works with affected communities, community groups and other key stakeholders to promote accountable land tenure and land governance as well as advocate for the communities’ right to a healthy environment and equity in the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens.

HCO promotes legal identity and documentation, including birth registration, access to citizenship rights, and the right to belong. Strategies include community sensitization, legal empowerment, movement building, community-led change-making, strategic partnerships, petitions, and community self-identification. 

The organization has supported over 50,000 children to access birth registration and documentation through mobile birth registration exercises conducted in collaboration with civil registration services. In addition, 50,000 children have accessed birth registration through paralegal assistance i.e. sensitization on the benefits of birth registration laws and policies, application procedures and requirements, and support in document application and follow-up with civil registration services. 

In collaboration with the Coalition on Nationality, Citizenship and Statelessness Empowerment (CONCISE), and the Citizenship Paralegal Partner Network, HCO is working to shift citizenship and documentation issues from individual to community, and national issue. We support communities facing citizenship challenges in developing advocacy plans to hold the government accountable for fair treatment in citizenship rights, pushing for reform on birth registration legislation, and the citizenship law, and advocating for comprehensive reform to the documentation system before digitalization.

In May 2022, HCO and other civil society organizations teamed up to form the East Africa Nationality Network (EANN) to strengthen regional collaboration among civil society and NGO actors working to eradicate statelessness in East Africa. In July 2022, HCO joined the Global Alliance Taskforce to support the establishment of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness (GAtES). From October 2024 HCO is a member of the first advisory committee of the GAtES. HCO is also a member of the Advisory Group of the Global Movement Against Statelessness (GMAS). 

HCO was involved in advocacy for the Makonde including the Makonde Walk which was the final push that led to the registration of the community by the government of Kenya in 2016. With the support of UNHCR and working closely with the government, HCO played a significant role in the confirmation of approximately 7,000 individuals from the Pemba community as Kenyan citizens. 

We continue to support the remaining stateless groups in Kenya such as the Rundi and Rwanda to finalize their register which is a model of Community Generated Data (CGD) that supports evidence-based advocacy with the Government and guides the registration committee as a first point of reference during registration.