@ppcheti
The county government of Lamu has partnered with stakeholders to incorporate the war on violent extremism in the County Integrated Development Plan.
The move is meant to heighten the county's input on the war on radicalisation and violence extremism in the region.
Lamu has for years borne the brunt of terrorism mostly by al Shabaab militia in acts that have left civilians and security officers dead.
Recent attacks by suspected militia in Widho, Juhudi, Ukumbi, Marafa, Mashogoni and Bobo-Sunkia area in Lamu West left 15 people dead including four GSU officers who were blown to death by a militia RPG.
Thousands have since been displaced by attacks.
Lamu has also partnered with Malaika Foundation, a non-profit organisation, to spearhead the exercise which seeks to fully adopt and implement programmes to ensure peace, harmony and security in the region.
Malaika foundation’s mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial, win-lose approaches and towards a cooperative, win-win approach.
The initiative comes just days after Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha signed into law, the Lamu County Disaster Risk Management bill.
This ensures all stakeholders are involved in the mitigation and management of disasters.
Speaking during a CVE stakeholders forum on Thursday, Lamu County Disaster Management director Shee Kupi said the war on terror can only be won if intensive dialogues and mutual collaborations are successfully affected.
“Through such initiatives, we nip the buds of radicalisation and violent extremism to keep our community safe and progressive,” Kupi said.
The initial Integration Plan will be followed by a periodical evaluation of the CIDP and Lamu County Action Plan implementation, which will inform future revisions.
Malaika Foundation executive director, Steve Ouma said violence can be avoided and conflict resolved through efforts that promote inclusion and access to justice.
He said at the top of the foundation’s innovations is the Diminishing Opportunities for Violent Extremism and the Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support Strategies.
Ouma said they had partnered with various civil society organisations and the National Counter Terrorism Centre to develop County Action Plans for all the 47 counties,
They all contribute towards Kenya’s efforts and capacities in conflict prevention and countering violent extremism in line with the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism.
He said the implementation of CAPs is pegged on the respective county governments in collaboration with the national government represented by the respective county commissioners.
“That’s why the foundation has embarked on sensitisation of the counties on the importance of factoring the CAP activities within their budgeting and planning processes. This implies allocating resources and funds towards the CVE CAP activities,” Ouma said.
He said CAP activities can be linked with the county developmental plans, programmes, projects and activities that are being implemented by various county departments or sectors.
“We are leading and guiding counties using this process to ultimately achieve full integration of CAPS with CIDPs and county planning processes,” he said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
