Graft derailing war on terror, Imams and lobby groups say

Kenya: Muslim clerics and peace groups in Nakuru County have cited lack of trust in the security forces as a stumbling block in the fight against terrorism and other forms of crime.

During an anti-terror county consultative forum, participants said due to endemic corruption among security agencies, people are concerned about confidentiality of information divulged to security personnel.

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Deputy Secretary General Hassan ole Naado said residents had expressed fears of leakage of information volunteered to security agencies.

"Corruption among security agencies has emerged as one of the key issues during our consultative forum and members of the community are concerned about confidentiality," said Mr Naado.

The forum provided an opportunity for local leaders drawn from community organisations, civil society and religious leaders to discuss the Kenya Countering Violent Extremism Advocacy and Accountability Charter.

The Charter was developed and adopted during the First National Conference on Security and Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya held in Nairobi last year. The Charter calls for leadership dialogue between State and non-state actors following growing insecurity exacerbated by violent extremism.

"To respond to this problem Supkem has partnered with like-minded organisations that deal with security and conflict," Naado said.