NCTC holds iftar dinner in Garissa to promote inter-faith cohesion in bid to prevent violent extremism

GARISSA—A national multi-agency security organ aimed at preventing terror activities in the country held an inter-faith iftar dinner for the Garissa University students in a bid to create an atmosphere of tolerance. The event was also aimed at recreatring the institution’s image following the infamous 2015 Al Shabab attack that killed148 people and injuring more than 79 others.

Held at one of the hotels in Garissa town, the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) also used the event to educate the University fraternity on it’s mandate. The Centre was established by the Prevention of Terrorism Act to coordinate national counter-terrorism measures that prevent, detect, deter and disrupt terrorism acts.

“On behalf of NCTC, I would like to assure you that we will closely work together with Garissa University family. We will also partner on many fronts to pre-empt the misinformation peddled around by the insurgent groups and their activities,” Mohamed Noor, the Head of the NCTC Strategic Communication, said.

The unprecedented luncheon was attended by lead members of the Garissa University Students Association, faculty members, head of the academic affairs as well as non-Muslim students.

“We are very grateful for such events because today I learnt more about the NCTC, and broke fast with my fellow Muslim students. A barrier was broken,” noted one of the students who’s a member of the University’s Christian union.

The Registrar lauded the get-together, saying: “If NCTC felt the need for such effective way of enhancing cohesion, it’s a challenge (for the University) to pick this trend and hold such iftar programs in future.” He added that this will serve as a marketing strategy for the once ill-fated institution which has since established an institute for Peace and Security.

There’s an ongoing campaign across Garissa County to identify the terror cells, eliminating sites for further recruitment. The first action was rigorous information-sharing through the various media channels, including local tea joints and maskanis.