Mathew Ltisinywa Letua’s Plan for Peace and Prosperity in Kenya

As a child in northern Kenya’s Samburu County, Mathew Ltisinywa Letua, A26, saw drought fuel tribal violence, predatory lending, and child marriages. He came to Tufts to study economics and peace and justice studies so that he could help solve those problems.

“People fight not because they hate each other, but because scarce resources lead to conflict," says Letua, a 2026 Presidential Award for Civic Life recipient. “If those communities were given opportunities for economic development or economic freedom, then they wouldn’t have to fight for resources.”

Recognizing that women are central to household financial planning, Letua has developed a plan to provide economic tools to the women and girls of Samburu—and he believes it will be a major step toward bringing peace to the region.

In April, Letua was awarded a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant for his idea. Before settling into his new job at Barclays Investment Bank in New York City, he will spend the summer in Samburu coteaching clinics on crisis budgeting, predatory lending identification, loan negotiations, and mobile money security. 

The grant also provides seed funding for women to pursue business opportunities such as rearing goats or producing beadwork, as well as emergency educational scholarships for girls at risk of dropping out of school.

The program will span seven weeks in June and July, but Letua hopes the work will have a lasting impact. “In the long run, it will be a self-sustaining initiative,” he says.

You majored in economics and minored in peace and justice studies. How did you decide on that combination?

I always knew I wanted to study economics because I was interested in how people make decisions under constraints. But when I was applying to Tufts, I discovered the peace and justice studies program, and it immediately connected to my experience growing up in northern Kenya. 

In pastoralist communities, conflict is often driven by competition over scarce resources like water and grazing land. I had seen the consequences of that—loss of life, displacement, and instability. Studying both economics and peace and justice allowed me to better understand these challenges and think about practical solutions for my community.

Why did you decide to focus on educating women and girls?

Our culture sometimes doesn’t appreciate women. Not because it’s a bad culture, but because we don’t have exposure, we don’t have enough education. And the proportion of women without access to education is huge. 

Most girls, by the age of 14, 15, 16, find themselves getting married off, which is a very sad story. There’s also female genital mutilation; they circumcise girls. That didn’t sit right with me. Reflecting on my society and who is the most affected, I thought maybe I could do something about it.

Women and girls are central in building resilience within households. When women have access to financial tools and income opportunities, that improves family stability. Economic pressure is also one of the key drivers for girls to drop out of school. I thought that by supporting women’s economic capacity and protecting girls’ education, the project could address both needs.

I’m trying to create something not just for individuals but with hopes that this knowledge continues for generations. Ninety percent of the project is education because no one takes that away from you once you have it.

What are you most excited about?

Honestly, I have a lot of anxiety because it’s so big and I don’t know how it’s going to go. The part I’ll be excited about is the feedback I will receive after, especially from the women’s groups. I think my joy will come from them identifying good business opportunities and being able to execute them.

As human beings, we have so many desires—for success, for money, and all that—but all this is vanity. But if you touch someone’s life, that is something. That’s what drives me.