NAIROBI JUNE 02, 2015(CISA) – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday June 1, announced new strategies aimed at combating growth of radicalization.
In his speech during Madaraka day celebrations from Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, President Kenyatta outlined a raft of programmes to reduce inequality, better equip the police force and new measures to curb radicalisation.
“We must accept that we are faced with a new kind of enemy against whom the conventional methods of fighting crime will not work,” Daily Nation quoted President Kenyatta as saying.
“We have amongst us radicalised youths who appear innocent which makes us believe that they are doing God’s work while they are busy planning evil against other Kenyans in the name of religion,” he added.
He said the biggest enemy the country faced was a radicalised young man or woman who appears innocent but is devoted to death, division and destruction.
“To deal with this enemy, we must keep improving our methods and tactics. Prevention is better than cure, and that is why we must stop them from being radicalised and we can’t do this without the complete cooperation of parents, guardians and religious leaders,” the President said.
The President said that while security agencies have been well equipped to respond quickly to crime, the fight against terrorism still posed the greatest challenge to his administration.
He said the government had strengthened various security agencies including the police, the National Intelligence Services and the criminal investigations department, all of which had led to a considerable reduction in the general crime rate in the country.
The de-radicalisation programme, the President said will heavily rely on the support of parents, religious organisations, civil society organisations, teachers and community leaders.
“Together, we can meet our joint duty of vigilance against those who would harm us. The enemy is cunning, but if we work together, we shall overcome.
“I salute those who give information, who voice their suspicions and who, stay vigilant for the sake of our security and safety because in doing so you have saved lives,” he said
