RP-Department of Gender and Development Studies

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Developmental Change and Peace among Children in Kenya
(Chemchemi International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015) Ngugi, Pamela M. Y.
The concept of engaging children all over the world in participation or consultation is a relatively recent advent within the children’s right arena, and at least at first glance is an idea alive with promises and potential. This promise has special significance, given the range of conditions in Kenya that render most of the children particularly vulnerable. Thus children have been given a platform through the Children’s Assembly, through which they can engage with the many unique problems that curve out their daily existence. It is in this regard that the paper argues that given an opportunity children can be agents of peace, change and development in their own right. The paper presents information from the children’s themselves concerning their present experiences and future aspiration by examining the functions of the Children’s Assembly, Kenya and how the assembly engages children in contributing in meaningful ways to discussions of issues affecting them. By so doing, they are considered as agents of change, peace and development in relation to their engagement in the educational process, access to and negotiation of work, development of survival strategies in extreme conditions of poverty and deprivation that affects most of the children in Kenya.