Kenya launches public portal to tackle violent extremism

NAIROBI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) on Tuesday launched a public information portal to increase public awareness of the threat of violent extremism.

NCTC Director Rosalind Nyawira said the portal, known as "Jasiri observatory," which translates to "resilience observatory," will be used to sensitize, inform and empower individuals and communities to understand and respond to violent ideologues peddled by extremist groups.

"Violent extremism is a threat to national security. This portal empowers individuals and communities to identify and discredit violent extremist ideologies, facilitating public dialogue on the threat of violent extremism," Nyawira said at the launch of the portal in Garissa University, located in northeast Kenya near the Kenya-Somali border, during the commemoration of the 2015 Garissa University attack that occurred nine years ago.

On April 2, 2015, armed al-Shabab gunmen stormed Garissa University, killing 148 people, among them students and security officers, and injuring 79 others.

Since then, security forces in Kenya have strengthened operations between the National Intelligence Service and Kenya Defense Forces, established specialized police units at the border, and heavily invested in community-led approaches like community policing to eliminate potential recruitment by terror groups.