Centre for Social Justice and Ethics

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    POLITICAL STABILITY AND SOCIAL COHESION IN THE MEKI CATHOLIC VICARIATE, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA.
    (THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA, 2026-10-25) TAMENE LEGESSE ABAKO
    Political stability is a foundation for social cohesion, peaceful coexistence, and sustainable community development. The Oromia Region of Ethiopia has experienced political tensions, insecurity, social divisions, and governance challenges that may undermine trust, cooperation, participation, and peaceful relationships among communities. Although previous studies have examined political stability and social cohesion at national and regional levels, limited empirical research has focused on their relationship within faith-based institutions at the grassroots level. This study examined the relationship between political stability and social cohesion in the Meki Catholic Vicariate, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Specifically, the study sought to: assess participants’ perceptions of political stability and social cohesion; evaluate how security enhances social cohesion; explore how the rule of law fosters political stability and social cohesion; and examine the effectiveness of existing measures for promoting social cohesion and propose recommendations for their improvement. The study was guided by Good Governance Theory and Social Capital Theory and employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. From a target population of 1,200, Yamane’s formula was used to determine a minimum quantitative sample of 300 respondents, while 20 key informants were purposively selected for qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were obtained through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS Version 27, generating frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings indicated a generally positive relationship between political stability and social cohesion, with respondents strongly agreeing that political stability promotes peaceful coexistence, trust, participation, and social cohesion (overall mean = 4.21). The study concludes that political stability and social cohesion are closely interconnected and recommends strengthening institutional accountability, inclusive participation, dialogue, reconciliation, civic and peace education, youth and women’s engagement, interreligious cooperation, and community-based conflict prevention and mediation.
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    CATHOLIC CHURCH’S CONTRIBUTION TO PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE AMONG PARISHIONERS IN KENGE DIOCESE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
    (THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA, 2026-10-25) HENRI TUTU ZIKI
    Peaceful coexistence is essential for sustainable development, social stability, and human well-being. Religious institutions, including the Catholic Church, contribute to peacebuilding through moral formation, reconciliation, mediation, dialogue, humanitarian assistance, and community mobilization. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), considerable attention has focused on the Church’s national peacebuilding role, while empirical attention to diocesan and parish-level initiatives remains limited. This study examined the Catholic Church’s contribution to peaceful coexistence among parishioners in the Kenge Catholic Diocese, DRC. Guided by General Systems Theory and Social Capital Theory, the study examined the Church’s peacebuilding activities, assessed their contribution to peaceful coexistence, identified challenges affecting peacebuilding efforts, and proposed strategies for strengthening the Church’s contribution. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 380 parishioners who completed structured questionnaires, representing a 95% response rate from 400 questionnaires distributed. Qualitative data were obtained from 20 purposively selected participants, including clergy, Justice and Peace Commission members, parish leaders, youth and women’s leaders, and community representatives, through interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically and integrated with the quantitative findings. The findings showed that the Catholic Church actively engaged in peace education, preaching on forgiveness and reconciliation, conflict mediation, dialogue, pastoral counselling, humanitarian assistance, and Justice and Peace Commission activities, with an overall mean of 3.94. These activities were perceived to contribute positively to peaceful coexistence through reconciliation, trust, social cohesion, and non-violent conflict resolution, with an overall mean of 4.02. Major challenges included poverty and unemployment (M = 4.15), ethnic differences (M = 4.07), limited financial resources (M = 4.05), insecurity, and limited institutional capacity, with overall challenges mean of 4.00. Strategies for strengthening the Church’s contribution recorded an overall mean of 4.18. The study concludes that the Catholic Church plays an important grassroots role in promoting peaceful coexistence in Kenge Diocese. It recommends strengthening reconciliation and peace education programmes, providing adequate resources to Justice and Peace Commission structures, enhancing clergy and lay leadership training, increasing youth and women’s participation, and strengthening collaboration with government and civil society organizations.
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    EVALUATING THE USE OF NON-VIOLENT STRATEGIES IN PUBLIC ORDER MANAGEMENT BY THE POLICE IN KENYA: A CASE OF MATHIRA EAST SUB- COUNTY, NYERI COUNTY, KENYA.
    (THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA, 2026-10-27) REV. FR. LUCAS MUCHIRI GATERO
    Public order management enables citizens to exercise their constitutional rights while maintaining public safety and security. Although the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the National Police Service Act (2011) require police officers to prioritize non-violent approaches and the minimum use of force, public demonstrations in Kenya have often escalated into confrontations between police and members of the public. This gap between legal provisions and operational practice informed the present study. The study focused on evaluating the the use of non-violent strategies in public order management by the police in Mathira East Sub-County, Nyeri County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to identify the non-violent strategies employed by the police in public order management, explore police perceptions regarding these strategies, assess the challenges affecting their application, and recommend appropriate interventions for improving their use. The use was assessed in relation to prevention and de-escalation of violence, protection of life and property, peaceful completion of demonstrations, police–public cooperation and trust, and reduced reliance on force. The study was guided by Procedural Justice Theory and Conflict Transformation Theory. A descriptive research design employing a mixed-method approach was adopted. The study targeted 174 participants, comprising 163 police officers who responded to questionnaires and 11 key informants who participated in interviews. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview guides. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed through thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that responsive non-violent strategies were more commonly applied than proactive and restorative approaches, indicating greater emphasis on managing demonstrations during the event than before or after it. The study further established positive attitudes towards non-violent policing alongside continued influence of traditional policing mindsets and strained police–public relations. The study identified lack of clear Standard Operating Procedures, inadequate training, negative public attitudes and infiltration by criminal elements as major challenges affecting the application of non-violent strategies. The findings also indicated that respondents recommended continuous training on de-escalation, human rights-based public order management and crowd psychology, alongside strengthened community policing and stakeholder engagement.