Remarks by Joseph Omondi, Executive Director MIDRIFT HURINET, during a Capacity Building forum facilitated by MIDRIFT HURINET bringing together Chiefs, Assistant County Commissioners (ACCs), and Nakuru County Security Intelligence Committee (CSIC), on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE).
"Kenya faces various Peace and Security challenges and is exacerbated by many factors such as radicalization, a big Youth bulge that we cannot afford to give opportunities to, or global inflation.
If you check the County Action Plan (CAP) on PCVE, you will see those vulnerabilities. There are a lot of push-and-pull factors, and collectively, we need to work together so that those people who are on the pathway of radicalization can demobilize—these are (some of the) critical conversations we need to have.
As an organization (MIDRIFT HURINET), we don't have the capacity, mandate, network, or platform you have as National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), so it's important to collaborate and partner with you. Without you, this project (Peace and Security) will remain an idea on paper.
MIDRIFT HURINET as a non-state actor contributes to the National Agenda on Peace and Security which falls under the National Government Administrative Officers' (NGAO's) mandate, our work is to complement.
We have worked very closely with the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination. We agreed that the platform we use during elections, the Multi-Sectoral Coordination Forum on Election Preparedness, should be turned into a permanent platform for Peace and Security through a policy brief, and a circular has been issued.
Very soon we will roll out those conversations using those platforms to continue speaking about the big agenda of Peace and Security because Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) is just a component.
The first agenda item will be a meeting at the County level, which will be rolled out to the Sub counties and villages.
Our approach is to ensure everybody is on board to address a systemic challenge called Peace and Security.
A systemic challenge, you cannot address it using one method, you need integrated responses.
A good example of a systemic challenge is the Finance Bill. It triggered the many challenges facing the Youth in the Country.
In this regard, our approach is to onboard everyone and bring our Youths to the discussion table, and that's why the multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration forum where we are going to talk to the Office of the County Commissioner that we meet quarterly, do an assessment and create sustainability in the initiative.
Nakuru is a County that has seen a lot, and we need to recalibrate and see to it that a Peaceful County can attract investment, so the Youth can get employment and reduce their vulnerabilities.
Our DCCs, ACC, and Chiefs must be innovative and create platforms to continue these conversations with committed individuals beyond this project cycle and leverage them.
Without you, we cannot have Peace and Security in our Communities.”
By Jacob Karani
