Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism (simply known as BRAVE) is a systematic strategy to counter the rising radicalization and extremism focusing on their violent and non-violent manifestations in Kenya. BRAVE seeks to mobilize stakeholders and counter the narratives of the extremists groups so as to change radicalization trends in Kenya. The BRAVE program is expected to trigger, initiate and sustain a momentum for actions on counter-violent extremism, counter-radicalization and de-radicalization in Kenya. Momentum built is expected to continuously undermine Information Asymmetries (lop-sidedness) that favour violent extremist groups, as well as continuously ‘clawing back’ the advantages of the same, gained and used by the militant groups reclaiming by the delivery of the correct teachings of Islam.

Through the guidance of a steering committee against violent extremism (SCARVE) composed of senior local Muslim religious leaders and scholars/experts, BRAVE project maintains community collaboration and capacity building. Interventions have involved government, community members and civil societies working collaboratively to improve each other’s capacities to de-legitimize and counter radicalization in Kenya.

BRAVE Overall Goals

1. Develop a holistic Counter-Narrative framework for Counter-Messaging in the larger systematic Counter-Radicalization.
2. Controlling positive Information Asymmetries and undermining negative Information symmetries – in all forms, that favor violent an militant groups in Kenya.
3. Re-engineering and re-invigorating the Islamic and Muslim landscape in Kenya to reposition the community to effectively and systematically respond to increasing misuse of the religion by extremists in legitimizing their actions of radicalization into violent extremism.

BRAVE Specific Objectives

1. Developing and implementing Master Narrative Sets Kit (MANSKIT) – Religious, Alternative, Ideological Strategic, Ethical and Tactical (RAIDSET)counter-narratives for an effective and systematic counter radicalization, de-radicalization, and counter violent extremism strategy
2. Ideological push back – (STARVE actions on physical and virtual); Reclaiming, taking charge and controlling advantages of Information Asymmetries against violent extremists and militant groups in Kenya
3. Reviving, re-invigorating, and re-engineering Muslim and Islamic institutions, platforms and ‘landscape’ (including Skeikhs, Alims and Imams) to position them to better and more effectively respond to increasing radicalization into violent extremism of Muslims in the country
4. Strategic use of Christian opinion and religious leaders and interfaith leaders to deflect ‘segueway’ the narrative-flow to dampen the possible backlash/reactive effect from hardline Christian groups that might complicate the fight against terror and extremism
5. Information Asymmetries claw-back; Undermining and countering violent militant extremists’ actions of recruitment, legitimation and intimidation
6. Engendering Stakeholder-ship to the Country by increasing nationalism, patriotism and the sense of belonging in Kenya as way of countering external forces and influences of radicalization into violent extremism