Pact remembers Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, influential peacemaker and advisor to Pact's Peace II program

It is with great sorrow that I must share with you all that Dekha Ibrahim Abdi passed away on Thursday after succumbing to injuries sustained from a car crash last week that also killed her husband and driver. As I shared with you all previously, Dekha was our peace advisor and an instrumental figure in our peace building work in Africa.

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi was born in the multi-ethnic and multi-religious town of Wajir, Kenya in 1964. A mother of four, she has been the primary peace advisor to Pact’s PEACE II program for the past several years, leading Pact’s partners in their efforts to build peaceful communities along the violent Kenya-Somalia border and along the Kenya-Uganda border. In 1992, Dekha worked with a group of her community members to organize mediation between warring parties in a violent conflict that afflicted Wajir after the end of the Shifta war. After an agreement was reached, representatives from various clans, government security agencies, parliamentarians, civil servants, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, NGOs, and others formed the Wajir Peace Committee to ensure the agreement was implemented. This peace committee model is now an important part of Pact’s peacebuilding approach.

In 2007, Dekha was the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, a prize often referred to as the alternative Nobel Peace Prize, which is given to those working towards solutions to address the most urgent challenges facing the world. The jury commended her for demonstrating that religious differences can be reconciled even after violent conflict, through a cooperative process leading to peace and development in diverse ethnic and cultural situations. In 1999, Dekha was awarded the Distinguished Medal for Service by the District Commissioner for Wajir on behalf of the Kenyan Government. She was also nominated as one among 1,000 women for the Nobel Prize in 2005, now known as 1000 Peacewomen Across the Globe. In 2008, she was given a Presidential Award for her contributions towards improving peace and security efforts in Kenya following the post-election violence. In 2010, she received the Hesse Peace Prize. Dekha was also active on the Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) in Nairobi.

Dekha and her family resided in Mombasa, Kenya. She and her husband are survived by four children and an extended family. They are remembered and revered by friends and colleagues in Kenya and worldwide. In her acceptance speech for the Right Livelihood Award, Dekha stated, “I thank the Almighty GOD and the Government of Kenya and the People of Kenya who had the patience, persistence to hold on to the vision of working for peace beyond the day to day politics by holding the social fabric of society, thinking together and working. It takes time to build sustainable peace in society. If you are lucky, you see the fruits and sometimes our role is to prepare the field and allow others to take it forward, leaving a heritage for the next generation.”

Pact and those whose lives Dekha touched saw the fruits of her labor. Her tremendous work, personality, and spirit will not be forgotten and her legacy will live on.

Mark Viso
CEO and President