At the institute we believe that democracy cannot thrive where a governance system is weak, human rights are not respected, citizen participation is non-existent, and civil society, and the judiciary is weak. The New Frontier Institute strives to promote the fundamental principles of democracy and governance, including free and fair elections, independent media, accountable and transparent governments, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. We analyze policy recommendations aimed at tackling governance, democratic values, and shift to good governance model for economic prosperity through: i) publishing policy briefs, opinion pieces, specialized newsletter, podcasts, and reports on the state of governance an democracy in, and ii) organize high-level panel discussions on relevant issues threatening governance and democracy in the country, through careful collaboration and partnerships with Northern Kenya County Governments and other key actors such as the FCDC.

The arid and semiarid Northern regions of Kenya, have in the past witnessed sporadic eruptions of ethnic and inter-clan conflicts and cattle raids. The primary drivers of conflicts in this part of Kenya are competition over scarce resources, cattle rustling, and the proliferation of illicit arms from conflict-prone neighboring countries as well as climate change. The experts at New Frontier Institute will examine security issues in Northern Kenya and the region and offer solution-focused, local knowledge-driven data and analysis, working with peace and security agencies. Our work will analyze how local, state, and international institutions define conflict in this region and offer solutions to prevent and mitigate conflict, and preserve peace, reconciliation and post-conflict development. 

The arid and semi-arid land of Kenya, occupied by the pastoralist community has borne the devastating impact of the wide-scale environmental degradation and climate change that threaten their lives and livelihood. The pastoralist communities of the North have been pushed to climate-induced destitution. Over the last decades, droughts and floods have become more regular and severe in impact. Through our environment, food security, and climate change expertise, the New Frontier Institute will support government, non-government, and community partners to tackle climatic threats and build resilient society through evidence-based research and analysis that identifies climate risks and vulnerabilities, recommend support innovative mitigation and adaptation, and strengthen, local production and governance structures to enhance adaptive capacity. 

We will use social and economic research to acquire knowledge on society and economic development and to analyze economic development and to analyze economic and social behavior, and understand trade and economic development. We envisage that this new knowledge will help the region realize and exploit economic opportunities and further shed light on how the Institute can forge useful partnerships with various actors and accelerate development and access to social and economic services.