On April 17, 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya, the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) and partners commenced implementation of a bold new peace-building initiative called the “Peacebuilding and Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) in East Africa”. The initiative will be implemented together with the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), and the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This three-year program on a regional scale seeks to meet the increasing threat of violent extremism for Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan by providing solutions based on grassroots leadership, interfaith dialogue, and the moral authority of the religious communities. An ambitious amalgamation of national security, social development, and community resilience, intertwined with spiritual values.
Since Nairobi was the venue for the inception meeting, religious leaders, policymakers, technical experts, and grassroots champions came together to co-create a roadmap to be the north star in the program’s implementation. The meeting provided details of strategy phases, timelines, and resource mapping for efficient rollout and monitoring.
“Extremist groups often misuse religious texts to justify violence. Religious leaders can counter this by clarifying and teaching accurate interpretations of holy scriptures that emphasize peace, compassion, and respect for life, debunking extremist ideologies,” Mr. Linus Nthigai, Executive Director IRCK said. “This program is a call to action, not just to secure peace, but to construct it, using our greatest asset-our faith, our values, and our people.”
The East African region, with its over 445 million population, is hit by overlapping crisis situations caused by climate-displaced people, social fragmentation, high unemployment of youth, and political instability. Most coastal and northern counties in Kenya are known for extremist activities, with many young people being radicalized by limited opportunities and systematic marginalization.
These multi-layered dynamics profiled by the IRCK-led program target the empowerment of religious leaders, women of faith, teachers, and youth with knowledge, tools, and platforms to enable them to serve as peacebuilders and sources of hope in their communities.
The program is being implemented across 10 counties; Nairobi, Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, Laikipia, Kisumu, Busia, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, and Mandera – identified for their strategic importance and vulnerability.
Central to this initiative is the belief that faith retains the potential to repair and unite. By retaking the narrative from violent extremists and feeding it through scripturally embedded alternative messages, IRCK and its ensemble of partners are allowing the pulpit to assume the right role, the challenging front of justice, peace, and development.
“Our mosques, churches, temples, and synagogues are sanctuaries of not just worship, but wisdom. And it is from these sacred spaces that we must rise to challenge the ideologies that breed hatred and violence.” noted Bishop Cyrus Mugo, Chairman of the Peace and Governance Program.
As IRCK and its partners embark on this journey, they invite all Kenyans religious leaders, youth, women, government, and civil society to join hands in building a society where peace is not the exception, but the expectation.
For more information, please visit: www.interreligiouscouncil.or.ke
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