Reducing Insecurity and Violent Extremism in Northern and Coastal Regions of Kenya (REINVENT)

The objectives of REINVENT’s CVE workstream are to reduce radicalisation, to strengthen institutional capacity to respond to violent extremism (VE) and to increase community resilience to VE across the target counties. The programme builds on RUSI’s extensive research into the effectiveness of CVE interventions from the Prevention Project and lessons learned from implementing STRIVE (Horn of Africa) and STRIVE II (Kenya).

Studies suggest that law enforcement action remains a significant source of grievance amongst communities on Kenya’s coast and the north-east. As a consequence, we have focused our institutional capacity-building work on the police, providing technical assistance and mainstreaming CVE concepts within the service. A CVE manual was produced by RUSI, validated through multi-stakeholder processes and then distributed to law enforcement training centres. This work has contributed to a more sustainable approach to preventive / non-coercive policing and greater coordination of state CVE efforts.

At the county level, we engage with local government stakeholders to support the implementation of County Action Plans (CAPs) and to mobilise multi-stakeholder County Engagement Fora (CEFs) on aspects related to CVE and policing. Through downstream partners at the community level, the work stream has improved community understanding of CVE in target counties and contributed to greater trust in security actors. Interventions have led to the promotion of a ‘whole of society’ approach to CVE.

As with all RUSI programming, significant emphasis is placed on research, with efforts to prioritise evidence and learning embedded throughout all activities. This ensures that interventions remain cognisant of the context-specific drivers of radicalisation and recruitment in the target counties.

In addition, RUSI supports all REINVENT work streams through an innovative violence monitoring and analysis tool. Monthly reporting and regular briefings ensure all REINVENT interventions are tailored, proportionate and effective, taking account of the evolving local context. The programme is flexible and able to quickly respond to changing threat dynamics.

Research under REINVENT is conducted by local academics, with guidance from RUSI Research Fellows. RUSI coordinated the production of two papers focused on religious influence on the North Coast and in the North East. In 2021, an extensive study explored the suggestion that areas previously unaffected by VE were increasingly being targeted by al Shabaab recruiters. Research throughout 2022 examined al Shabaab intent and capability to influence country’s general elections.

Access the REINVENT Kenya website here.

Publications produced by TETRA TECH and RUSI