KILIFI COUNTY TO LAUNCH THE COUNTY ACTION PLAN FOR PREVENTING AND COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM 2022 ON WEDNESDAY 16^th FEBRUARY, 2022 AT THE KILIFI COUNTY HEADQUARTERS

Concept Note

BACKGROUND: Kilifi County is one of the six counties in the coastal region of Kenya. It is strategically located along the stretch of Indian Ocean coastline from Mtwapa to Kurawa. It provides a gateway to Nairobi, Mombasa and Garissa/Lamu. Pwani University, KEMRI Research Institute and host of high end tourist hotels and villas in Kilifi, Kikambala, Mtwapa, Malindi and Watamu. It is home to; pristine beaches, delicious cuisine, beach hotels and resorts, exciting water activities, rich culture, warm Swahili people, a relaxed atmosphere, and diverse wildlife making it a strategic county in the country as a whole. However, the county has continued to record low growths in the tourism sector, the mainstay of its economy owing to the threat of terrorism and insecurity.

The county is still suffering from the legacy of travel advisories issued by foreign governments in the wake of al shabaab, one of al Qaeda’s affiliate, attacks in the region. In addition to the declining economy as a result of manifestation of violent extremism in Kilifi, the county has lost several lives too, it will be remembered that the county was amongst the first to be hit by violent extremism organizations in the region during the Kikambala Paradise Bombing in November 2002. This calls for accelerated efforts towards preventing and countering violent extremism.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Kenya Community Support Centre (KECOSCE), with support from the Danish Embassy in Kenya in Partnership with Act Change Transform (Act!), is implementing the Resilience Peace and Stability Program in Kilifi County. The program aims to reduce violent extremism, political and resource based conflicts in the County. The Resilience Peace and Stability Program has supported the process for remodelling the Kilifi County Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism a process that was led by the Office of the Governor, The County Commissioner and the National Counter Terrorism Centre. The remodelling process aimed at development of a measurable, prioritised and realistic CAP that responds to the threat and also strengthens the bonds between the people of Kilifi County, thus making it more inhospitable to the enemies of Kenya and mankind.

Reasons for remodelling of the Kilifi Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism

The Kilifi County Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (APCVE-KC), as well as the CAPs across the 47 counties in the country, are being (or have been) remodeled because of the following key reasons.

• Bring more stakeholders on board and leave no one behind in the endeavour to defeat radicalization and extremism:
• Keep abreast with the changing and dynamic VE and PCVE context:
• Come up with manageable, practical number of pillars that can be implemented, monitored and evaluated. Small is beautiful.
• Adapt the CAP to the OKR and FUSION M&E system that is being rolled out by NCTC.
• Reconstitute the CAP Secretariat and Pillar heads for efficient implementation and coordination of efforts

THE LAUNCH EVENT: In order to steer the implementation of the Remodelled Kilifi County Action Plan 2022, this Launch event will provide the pedestal upon which leaders shall rally all actors in Kilifi towards preventing and countering violent extremism. Having been preceded with a one day sensitization workshop of the CVE Engagement Forum. The event shall be used to rekindle energies and reinvigorate local structures such as peace committees, Nyumba Kumi, religious leaders, youth, and women towards this cause. The event shall also foster collaboration between state and non-state actors such as Civil Society Organization, Government Fund Managers, legislators, Academia, administrators, and political leadership. It shall be a platform to strengthen partnerships and participation towards the Prevention of violent extremism in Kilifi County.

Objectives of the Event.  This event will present a platform to showcase the remodeled KCAP and situate the roles of each stakeholder, the citizen and the leaders towards its implementation. More specifically, the following are the key objectives of the event:

• To launch the Remodelled Kilifi County Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism 2022. This will massively publicize the Plan and ensure all relevant actors can access it for its use/implementation.
• To rally all actors in the county towards implementation.
• To enhance networking, collaboration, and partnership for the implementation of the KCAP.

Target Participants: The event will aim to bring together at least 150 participants, both state and non-state actors, in line with COVID-19 regulations.  Key dignitaries will include HE. the Governor Kilifi County, The County Commissioner, National Counter Terrorism Centre, elected leaders, and Envoys from the Royal Danish Embassy in Nairobi. The event will also be streamlined live on major social media platforms to enable thousands of partners and collaborators to participate.

ACHIEVED RESULTS

• The Kilifi County Action Plan on PCVE (KCAP) was launched and the stakeholders commissioned through the trained County and Sub County PCVE engagement Forums to implement the KCAP
• The County Security and Intelligence Committee launched security contact cards to ease information sharing and enhance local security within the sub-counties
• The Royal Danish Embassy pledged to support the implementation of the proposed actions within the Kilifi County Action Plans for PCVE
• The event was streamed live on Facebook and aired on 10 media stations in Kilifi and Nationally raising awareness to over 20,000 people countrywide

The County and sub-county PCVE Engagement forums have embarked on the implementation of the KCAP.