By Eddah Waithaka
Today, the Ministry of Internal Security and Administration launched the Regional Programme on Peace Building and Preventing Violent Extremism in East Africa at Kwetu, Nairobi. This initiative, which will initially roll out in Kenya, South Sudan, and Somalia, seeks to strengthen community bonds and promote sustainable development. Supported by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The main reason for this initiative is that there are many challenges related to peace and security in the region, especially in the context of Kenya.
Speaking at the press conference, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Administration said, “We have had a fair share of challenges around security, whether you look at the incidences that we have had to deal with in the North, in the North Rift, in the coast, but also even in the capital city, Nairobi.”
“Now this is also what the other two countries also face, actually for them it is probably in a much bigger scale. So this program is targeted at trying to build resilience within the different communities, but also to create a sense of empowerment, as an anchor to having a peaceful region,” the PS added.
The program is an $18 million program that will run for three years. PS Omollo emphasized that it will build on a lot of experience that the government has gained over the years, but will also take into account the new challenges that come with progress in the different communities.
“Yes, there have been a lot of challenges to building peace in Kenya and also Somalia and South Sudan. Perhaps what are the main issues you intend to tackle with this program? So primarily this program is looking at violent extremism, which is largely driven by religious differences or teachings,” PS Omollo highlighted during a press briefing.
On the question of how religious teachings or experiences, whether it’s Islamic or Christian and how they have their own excesses. The PS mentioned that the government is trying to mitigate by involving religious leaders, a number of faith-based organizations in trying to run this program.
“We will also be working very closely with the youth and women who, to a large extent, particularly the youth, have become agents of this violent extremism. The women particularly have borne the brunt of violent extremism in terms of being the most affected. But also as a community, we believe and we know that women are one of the biggest agents for change.”
Further on the issue of femicide, the Principal Secretary of the Interior appreciated the security officers, the National Police Service, because from time to time they have been able to follow up on a number of these cases.
“They have provided information. But then we also have a lot of active investigation that is going on. What we are doing as a ministry and as a government is making information available to Kenyans and also intervening in cases where we found criminal elements and those who are culpable. And we process them through the normal criminal justice system,” the PS noted.
