Women’s institutional choices and local peacebuilding: insights from Nairobi and Mombasa’s informal settlements

This article looks at the choices women make among local peacebuilding institutions in the informal settlements of Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya. It investigates how factors like access and trust influence these decisions in the context of everyday insecurity. Leveraging insights from focus group discussions and interviews and centring women’s voices, the article finds that local peacebuilding institutions like peace committees (LPCs) and community policing committees are not necessarily more trusted nor accessible to residents. The state’s dual role in formalising these committees and as a source of everyday violence creates a legitimacy gap where local institutions can be socially remote. Women turn to parallel, informal avenues that are perceived as more responsive to their needs and concerns. The latter may remain fragmented and precarious. The findings show that local peace infrastructures’ formal ties to state authorities can create access barriers and mistrust among community members, with gendered consequences for women.