Invest in communication as a strategy to combat terrorism- Coast based activist petitions government

KECOSCE Executive Director Phylis Muema Photo By Author

By Peter Kombe

Kenya Community Support Centre KECOSCE Executive Director Phylis Muema has urged the government to invest in communication as a way of combating terrorism in the country.

Speaking to the media in Mombasa on Tuesday the KECOSCE executive said lack of a harmonious flow of information by security agents contributes to the occurance of such incidences.

“It is high time the government invests in communication as a way of fighting terror. The problem with this country is that there is a very weak communication network amongst the security agents” she said

She further called on the government to invest in public intelligence by inculcating intelligence in the curriculum.

The director outlined that there is a need for to strengthen the relationship between security apparatus and the public.

“There is also a need to boost the relationship between the police and the public in general. What we have seen in this country however is, police officers are not sufficient despite the daily recruitment done” Phylis said

She called on for the collaboration of all stakeholders including the ministry of interior and coordination of national government in order to fight terrorism.

On the issue of radicalization among the youth in the country, Muema said there is a need for county governments to develop Countering Violent extremism strategies in order to find a permanent solution.

The activist however said that most of the counties have developed CVEs in their respective counties.

“I want to appreciate the efforts done by our governors in almost all the six counties of the coastal region. Most of them have come up with a CVE strategy and this is wonderful” she noted

The human rights defender lauded most of the coast counties for their initiative in countering violent extremism.

She said most of the six counties in the coast region have developed their CVE strategies.

The Kenya Community Support Center (KECOSCE) was founded in 2006 and has been working in the coastal region of Kenya  and established to address democratic governance, socio‐economic and youth concerns with a focus on the coast of Kenya.

The main purpose (KECOSCE) is to promote and facilitate institutionalization of the values and practices of good governance at all levels of society.

It takes recognizance of the fact that the majorities of citizens have not been recognized or effectively involved in public policy processes that impact on their social, economic and political lives.