NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya has launched a five-day multi-agency training programme aimed at rehabilitating and reintegrating individuals involved in extremist and terrorist activities, as part of broader efforts to counter radicalisation and strengthen national security.
The training, which began on Monday in Nairobi, brings together 40 participants drawn from various ministries, departments, agencies, religious institutions and civil society organisations.
It builds on similar initiatives conducted last year with the support of the Islamic Military Counter-Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC).
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) Brigadier Joel Kirimi said the programme focuses on the full recovery of former terrorists and individuals at early stages of radicalisation.
He stressed that Kenya’s response to terrorism must go beyond arrests and military operations to include rehabilitation, reintegration and prevention.
“Rehabilitation and reintegration are not acts of weakness but strategic strengths that deny extremist groups their most valuable resource — human capital,” Brigadier Kirimi said. “Peace is achieved when we protect societies and restore lives.”
The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition today commenced a Foundation Course on Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration at a Nairobi hotel under the Coalition’s Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration Initiative. The programme targets individuals affected by extremist
Kirimi noted that a comprehensive counter-terrorism approach must combine law enforcement, intelligence gathering and community-based interventions to disengage individuals from violent ideologies and reintegrate them into society as productive citizens.
The training is supported by IMCTC, a Pan-Islamic coalition of 43 member states established in 2015 and headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Kenya joined the coalition in 2022 as its 42nd member.
Delegates attending the Nairobi programme include Dr Mansour Saeed Alqarni, Head of the Ideology Domain Department at IMCTC, Dr Yahya Mohammed, the initiative’s supervisor, Brigadier Mohamed Aden — Kenya’s Defence Attaché to Saudi Arabia and Head Delegate to IMCTC — and Abdullahi Dubat.
According to IMCTC, the training seeks to build specialised capacity among practitioners involved in detecting, identifying, rehabilitating and reintegrating individuals affected by extremist ideologies.
The coalition says strengthening intellectual, ideological and community-based responses is key to advancing security and stability in affected countries.
Brigadier Kirimi urged participants to focus on prevention, warning that long-term success lies in stopping radicalisation before it escalates into violence.
“True success lies in preventing radicalisation, disengaging individuals from violent ideologies, and reintegrating them as constructive members of society,” he said, adding that the knowledge shared during the training has implications for national, regional and global security.
IMCTC supports member states through initiatives across four key domains — ideology, communication, counter-terrorism financing and military cooperation.
While some courses are conducted in Riyadh, others are hosted in member states, depending on local needs.
Last year, IMCTC conducted two basic counter-terrorism financing courses and one advanced course in Kenya, benefiting 72 officers.
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