2014 Dec. Vol. 7 No. 2
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AFRICA PEACE AND Geoffrey Thomas Harris, Durban University of Technology CONFLICT JOURNAL Monica Kathina Juma, Kenyan Ministry of Defense Tony Karbo, University for Peace Executive Editor Marion Keim Lees, University of Western Cape Jean-Bosco Butera, Director, UPEACE Africa Gilbert Khadiagala, University of the Witwatersrand Programme Mary E. King, University for Peace Managing Editor Terrence Lyons, George Mason University Samuel Kale Ewusi, Research Coordinator, Pamela Machakanja, Africa University UPEACE Africa Programme Guy Martin, Winston-Salem State University Guest Editor Erin McCandless, Journal of Peacebuilding and Dr. Samuel Bwalya, UNDP Country Director, Development Ethiopia Christopher Mitchell, George Mason University Tim Murithi, Institute for Transitional Justice and Assistant Managing Editor Reconciliation, Cape Town Agnes Asele Susan Allen Nan, George Mason University EDITORIAL BOARD Edith Natukunda, Makerere University Amr Abdalla, Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, Sulayman Nyang, Howard University Washington, D.C. Jan Pronk, Institute for Social Studies, Hizkias Assefa, Eastern Mennonite University The Netherlands Elham Atashi, Goucher College Martin Rupiya, Africa Public Policy and Johannes Botes, University of Baltimore Research Institute Benjamin Broome, Arizona State University Mary Hope Schoewbel, United States Institute Kevin Clements, University of Otago of Peace Alyson Frendak, George Mason University Craig Zelizer, Georgetown University ISSN 1659–3944 Copyright © 2014 University for Peace University for Peace Africa Programme PO Box 2794, Code 1250 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel: +251-11-6180991/2 Fax: +251-11-6180993 www.apcj.upeace.org Jean-Bosco Butera, Director Rahel Getachew, Finance Officer Tony Karbo, Associate Professor and Samrawit Tesfaye, Administrative Director, Karamoja Cluster Project Assistant Samuel Kale Ewusi, Research Coordinator Tsega Desta, Research Assistant and Tsion Tadesse Abebe, Programme Website Administrator Officer The mission of the University for Peace is to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings a spirit of understanding, tol- erance, and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples, and to help lessen obsta- cles and threats to world peace and progress in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations. —Charter of the University for Peace, Article 2, approved by the UN General Assembly in Resolution A/RES/35/55 Publication of the Africa Peace and Conflict Journal is made possible by the financial assistance of IDRC. AFRICA PEACE AND CONFLICT JOURNAL Guidelines for Contributors The APCJ is a refereed journal with a panel of international editorial advisors and readers. All articles are anonymously peer reviewed by at least two referees. We welcome the following types of contributions year round and will periodically issue calls for papers on specific topics: Articles and case analysis—critical case studies or thematic discussion and analysis of top ical peace and conflict themes (7,000 words maximum, including endnotes; abstract, 150 words or less). Briefings/practice—training or intervention strategies, outcomes and impacts, policy review and analysis, country situational updates, and so on (2,000 words maximum). Book reviews—critical assessments of new books that integrate peace and conflict concerns (1,500 words maximum). Resources—reports, upcoming conferences and workshops, notices of new books and videos, ecommunications, and Web sites that link to peace and conflict studies (150 words maxi mum); documents, declarations, communiqués, and other relevant nongovernmental or multilat eral organizational statements (1,000 words maximum). The editors will consider only material that meets the following requirements: • Submissions must be original and cannot have been published previously, online or in print. They cannot be under consideration for publication by another journal or organization. • Submissions should be prepared electronically, preferably in Microsoft Word. • For notes and references, use the short-title system (not the author-date system) as per Butcher’s Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders, 4th edn (2006). Authors should include full name, brief biography (with institutional affiliation), and contact details, including mailing address and telephone number. Submit to [email protected] and [email protected]. The editors reserve the right to alter all manuscripts to conform with APCJ style, to improve ac curacy, to eliminate mistakes and ambiguity, and to bring the manuscript in line with the tenets of plain language. AFRICA PEACE AND CONFLICT JOURNAL: ISSN 1659-3944. Published in June and December by the University for Peace Africa Programme, PO Box 2794, Code 1250, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the University for Peace, El Rodeo de Mora, Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica. Design and composition: Auburn Associates, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, United States Printing: Appi Sàrl, Gland, Switzerland YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES: African subscriptions, US$50 for institutions, US$25 for individuals. International subscriptions, US$100 for institutions, US$50 for individuals. ELECTRONIC ACCESS: Visit www.apcj.upeace.org or e-mail the managing editor at [email protected]. COPYRIGHT: © 2014 University for Peace Africa Programme. All rights reserved. Requests for permission to reprint ma- terial from this publication must be mailed to Managing Editor, UPEACE Africa Programme, PO Box 2794, Code 1250, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, or e-mailed to [email protected]. AFRICA PEACE AND CONFLICT JOURNAL Volume 7 Number 2 December 2014 CONTENTS Guest Editor’s Note v From the Managing Editor viii Articles Modesf o Democratic Expressions Revisited: The Youth and the Politics of Defiance in Uganda 1 Fredrick Kisekka-Ntale and Elijah Doro The Advocacy of the Somaliland Diaspora in London 15 Amal Yusuf Jama Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper as an Institutional Framework for Postconflict Peacebuilding and Youth Development in Collapsed States: The Case of Liberia 34 Samuel Wai Johnson, Jr Decentralisation and Local Governance in Cameroon: Impact of Councillor-Citizen Relations on Service Delivery 48 Josiane Tousse Djou Decentralization Policy in Uganda: A Shadow of the Gospel 60 Julius Chama Regional Security Governance Within the East African Community: Prospects and Challenges 74 Damaris Nyaboke Manyange iv AFRICA PEACE AND CONFLICT JOURNAL Briefings Youth Participation in Local Governance: Youth Perspective from the Coast Region of Kenya 89 Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen Tensions and Dilemmas Around Sexual Rights in the Context of the African Youth Charter 96 Manase Kudzai Chiweshe and Nelson Muparamoto Bookshelf Youth and Peaceful Elections in Kenya, by Kimani Njogu 103 Reviewed by Sarah Njeri Democratic Uprising in the New Middle East: Youth, Technology, Human Rights and US Foreign Policy, by Mahmood Monshipouri 106 Reviewed by Kenneth Omeje Guest Editor’s Note Recent youth led uprising and peaceful protests which began in Tunisia in late 2010 and spread rapidly to engulf other countries in the Arab world such as Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria have since ignited scholarly interest and efforts to examine the role of youth in bringing about political and economic reforms in seemingly repressive, exclusive and autocratic political regime in Africa. Such efforts attempt to generate fresh insights on mass mobilization and changing dynamics of Arab spring type of contestation, the quest to understand factors that lead to such uprising, their conta gion effects and determinant of success in delivering desired political and economic transformation. The articles in this issue of the Africa Peace and Conflict Journal con tain scholarly papers examining these sets of issues from diverse perspectives and country contexts. It alsoshed light on the role of the youth in orchestrating popular uprising and protests aimed at removingrepressive and dictatorial political leaders in power and bring about envisioned regime change and inevitably trigger development orientationscapable of producing inclusive and equitable policies and outcomes while securing freedom, peace and security for all citizens. The paper by Fredrick Kisekka and Elijah Doro on Uganda which examines the modes of democratic expression in the context of the youth and the politics of defi ance provide useful insight on how young people can successfully engage through formal institutions and processes, like the Parliament, to oppose (lobby for) certain government policies or act to bring about positive institutional reforms. A clear ex ample on Uganda is given to illustrate how the youth were able to obtain seats in parliamentby contesting in an election as independent members of parliament and used their newly acquired positions to cause parliamentary reforms that resulted in greater separation between the executive and legislature, and also helped to strengthen parliamentary oversight functions including the government budget. Such analysis clearly shows that the youth can be mobilized to work within formal institutional ar rangements to oppose and remove suboptimal polices and induce progressive politi cal and economic reforms in Africa. However, this approach has been ineffective in efforts to unseat the current politi cal regime in Uganda, which some observers and local opposition have described as unpopular and undemocratic, amidst