The Mandera programme has been the lead agency steering discussions around the development of the Mandera County Action Plan on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). This was attributed to its known expertise in Participatory Action Research (PAR).
Furthermore, the Mandera programme has led an effort to improve relations and trust between security agencies and the local communities, particularly young people, who have often been indiscriminately on the receiving end of security operations. Beginning with joint sporting activities and later consultative meetings, the programmme has made progress in forging understanding between the security agencies and the local communities. Many youths now openly discuss security matters and the threats of radicalization with local leaders, imams and security heads. Moreover, the Mandera Officer Commanding Police Station (OCS) has opened a social media account to engage the local population on security issues. As a member of the Mandera programme Working Group, the OCS has facilitated dialogues and directly engaged the community on trust building and security matters. This has enabled referrals of security cases by the community.
