Local Self-Governance on the Somalia–Kenya Border

Thirty years of civil war, insurgency, and counterinsurgency in Somalia and neighbouring northeastern Kenya have hollowed out state services and left borderland communities beleaguered. Yet in this apparently ‘ungoverned’ space, local self-governance persists. Citizen-led reflection shows how communities are repairing the social and physical damage wrought by violence, organising basic services, and providing public goods. This brief suggests ways that local and international agencies can work with local self-governance in zones of insecurity, acknowledging and responding to community strengths.