Center for Livelihood & Development (CLD Kenya) is an indigenous non-governmental organization headquartered in Nairobi. We specialize in grassroots Conflict Resolution, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and Inter-Ethnic Peacebuilding. We resolve resource wars, mediate pastoralist and urban gang violence, and build lasting peace through shared climate-smart livelihoods.
Rooted in Nairobi's informal settlements and rural communities across Kenya.
The Center for Livelihood & Development (CLD Kenya) was founded in Nairobi on the conviction that sustainable poverty reduction requires community ownership, climate resilience, and economic independence.
From our Nairobi secretariat in Upper Hill, we coordinate interventions that bridge urban informal settlements like Kibera, Mathare, and Mukuru with arid and semi-arid rural communities in Kitui, Turkana, and Kilifi.
Projects designed and owned by local village and urban ward committees.
Transparent stewardship with audited financials and open public reporting.
Prioritizing renewable energy, indigenous crops, and water harvesting.
Targeted empowerment for single mothers, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Sustainable livelihoods cannot survive in active conflict zones. Every program CLD Kenya operates is designed as a direct peacebuilding intervention—transforming historical flashpoints into cooperative economic hubs.
Pillar 01 • Core Foundation
Convening inter-ethnic dialogues, customary Councils of Elders, and accredited legal mediation panels to resolve pastoralist boundary conflicts, cattle raids, and informal settlement disputes across Kenya.
Pillar 02 • Resource Peace
Transforming contested riverbeds and dried grazing corridors into cooperative solar boreholes and sand dams co-managed by joint peace committees representing traditionally warring clans.
Pillar 03 • Urban Peace
Mediating informal settlement turf wars in Mathare, Kibera, and Mukuru (Nairobi). We transition at-risk youth and gang members away from crime into digital freelancing, coding, and vocational trade.
Pillar 04 • Women & Peace
Championing UNSCR 1325 (Women, Peace & Security). We place women at formal mediation tables and provide revolving seed grants to chamas composed of conflict widows and survivors.
Pillar 05 • Food & Pasture
Brokering seasonal rangeland treaties and pasture reseeding between pastoralists, accompanied by drought-resilient fodder production and vertical sack farming to curb hunger-driven cattle raids.
Pillar 06 • Early Warning
Community Early Warning Early Response (EWER) SMS hotlines to de-escalate tensions before violence erupts. We partner with the National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding (NSC) for electoral peace pacts.
From our Nairobi National Secretariat in Upper Hill, CLD coordinates rapid mediation field units, Early Warning networks, and Peace Committees embedded directly within communities across 18 Kenyan counties.
Mathare, Kibera, Mukuru, Dandora, Kawangware (Youth gang de-escalation, inter-ethnic peace barazas, digital livelihood academies)
Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet (Cattle rustling cessation, pasture sharing pacts, solar peace boreholes)
Marsabit, Isiolo, Garissa, Mandera, Wajir (Modogashe Declaration revitalization, cross-clan water accords, women peace monitors)
Tana River, Lamu, Kilifi (Farmer-herder dispute mediation, mangrove peace cooperatives, youth civic engagement)
Every project is co-signed by a local Community Advisory Council consisting of village elders, women leaders, youth representatives, and local county chiefs.
View Our County Impact MapMeet the courageous men and women writing new chapters of resilience across Nairobi and beyond.
"With CLD's vertical sack farming training and indigenous seeds, I now harvest 30kg of fresh sukuma wiki every week from my 4-meter balcony in Mathare. I pay school fees on time and feed my family nutritious food."
"After completing CLD's 4-month digital skills training at the Mukuru hub, I secured remote transcription and data analysis contracts. I was able to purchase my own laptop and employ two other youth in my neighbourhood."
"We used to walk 8 kilometers under the scorching sun each morning to dig in dry riverbeds for salty water. The solar-powered kiosk installed by CLD has restored dignity, health, and clean drinking water to our entire village."
Stay informed on project rollouts, research findings, and community events.
Full comprehensive breakdown of funds deployed, community beneficiaries reached across 18 Kenyan counties, and audited financial statements.
Download Report (PDF)In partnership with youth groups in Eastlands Nairobi, CLD planted 15,000 bamboo and fruit saplings along degraded riparian reserves to curb flooding.
Read ArticleConvening 450 young agripreneurs at our Nairobi training center to discuss solar cold-chain storage and direct market linkages with supermarket buyers.
Event DetailsYour tax-deductible contribution supports community food gardens, youth digital training, and clean water across Kenya.