Women leading peace in East Africa
In Kenya’s Baringo County, women affected by conflict are finding new roles in peacebuilding through ActionAid’s African Women Voices for Peace platform.
Among them is Sarah, whose path from survivor to advocate traces the challenges and resilience of many women across the region.
Sarah was born into a polygamous family in rural Baringo, the third of nine children. While still in primary school, she fled to her uncle’s home to escape the threat of female genital mutilation, a fate planned by her father. Despite strong grades, her father refused to pay her secondary school fees and accepted a bride price from an older man instead. Sarah resisted the marriage, securing bursaries that allowed her to finish school.
At 21, seeking stability, she married but faced further violence and hardship. After the birth of her first son, she experienced physical abuse that left her with post pregnancy complications. The violence continued, and during periods of regional conflict her family was displaced for years, losing livestock and sheltering in forests. When they eventually returned, her husband brought another wife into the home, deepening her distress. Renewed banditry again forced them to flee, and this time he left, taking their children with him. In 2024, Sarah joined activities under African Women Voices for Peace. There she met women who, like her, had endured conflict and displacement. The program created space to reflect, rebuild confidence and learn practical skills in advocacy and leadership. She came to understand how women’s participation is essential to sustainable peace, and how recovery begins with recognising their own agency.
She later attended the 41st Gender Is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Summit in Ethiopia, a gathering that brings together women leaders from across Africa to influence African Union decisions on peace, security, and development. Standing among them reinforced her conviction that women’s leadership must be central to peace processes.
Peace starts from you, then you can impact the community.”
Sarah now mobilises other women in her region to reclaim their agency and take part in building peace. Her story reflects the persistence of women driving change across East Africa, and the collective strength transforming exclusion into leadership.
ActionAid, a global women’s rights organisation, established the African Women Voices for Peace initiative as the first regional platform of its kind in Africa. Bringing together women’s rights organisations across both countries, the initiative creates safe spaces for survivors to heal, organise and advocate for lasting peace.
Through this coalition, women across Kenya and Uganda who have survived conflict related sexual and gender based violence are building a cross border, survivor led movement to shape peace and accountability. They are accessing health care, justice and economic opportunity while forming networks that elevate their voices in national and regional peace processes.
