The initiative’s chairman Joseph Kaguthi says the social media platform is set to woo youths who are increasingly being lured into joining terror groups or being radicalised/FILE
The initiative’s chairman Joseph Kaguthi says the social media platform is set to woo youths who are increasingly being lured into joining terror groups or being radicalised.
Addressing journalists after a meeting with the Editors Guild on Thursday morning, Kaguthi said this will be part of a Crime Preventive Strategy being developed.
“We have to address that particular communication vacuum,” he said.
He said already over 210,000 cluster groups have been established across the country, saying crime has reduced by 40 percent where they are effective.
“In the Northern part of the country is yet to get a clean bill of health but will be going there to re-asses it,” he said while explaining why the region was still facing high insecurity rates.
Kaguthi further pointed out that the head of the groups will be required to have a permanent record that will be audited to ensure there is effective response to security concerns raised by members and speedy flow of intelligence to security apparatus.
“The clusters will be formal…we will establish feedback systems,” he said.
The government is in its final stages of developing a de-radicalisation programme that borrowed heavily from the recent Regional Conference on Countering Violent extremism which Nyumba Kumi initiative also wants to fight.
High powered panels that include ambassadors, human right groups and security players discussed the nine-point agenda.
Areas that were extensively discussed include the typologies and drivers of violent extremism in Africa, the local architecture and dynamics of radicalization and recruitment as well as ways of de-legitimising violent extremist narratives.
Other sectors include the role of the private sector in the war, developing effective NGO programming for Counter Violent Extremism (CVE), promotion of research and learning of evidence driven CVE action and the role of the internet and the media.
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