A meeting of scholars, security experts, representatives from civil society and religious leaders held at Amani Tiwa Beach Resort, Kwale County on Sunday 18th September 2016, deliberated on the Kwale County Strategy for Countering Violent Extremism. The CVE Strategy borrows heavily from the nine pillars of the National Counter Violent Extremism Strategy that was recently launched by the Government of Kenya. The Strategy highlights the psycho-social aspects and faith issues that make youth join terror groups and strategies which state and non-state actors can use to effectively deal with violent extremism in Kenya.
Participants at the meeting also revealed that terror suspects were reluctant to surrender for fear of victimization by terror groups and the State. Local residents say a number of the youth who surrendered in public following an amnesty offered last year by the National Government, have since been killed by suspected state security agents or outlawed militants.
Speaking at the meeting, Taita Taveta University College Principal Hamadi Boga said the government amnesty faced challenges because it lacked a clear legal framework. “The current legal framework does not offer protection for terror suspects who surrender. The amnesty has exposed some of the youth to those who were against it [the amnesty] and that is why many of the them have lost their lives while others are still hiding for fear of victimization”, he said.
Kwale County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka defended the amnesty saying that it was in its pilot stage and that it would be reviewed to make it more efficient in dealing with cases of violent extremism and radicalization in the County. “In this particular programme, we are putting risk management features in place so as to ensure we respond well with emerging security risks”, he said.
Human Rights Agenda Executive Director, Yusuf Lule while speaking at the forum, said that Kwale County had been hard hit by extremism and radicalization. He called for concerted efforts in dealing with the growing security challenge which has has greatly affected the tourism sector in the County. The development of the Kwale CVE Strategy was made possible with support from USAID and the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya.
