ANTI-TERRORISM WORKSHOP BY THE NCTC

Terrorism has been a major disaster for Kenya for many years, leading to the country being red-listed as a country vulnerable to attacks from various militant groups. A good example of these militia extremist groups is Al Qaeda and the infamous Al Shabaab jihadist extremism, which has carried out several attacks on Kenya's most prominent commercial centers, including the Westgate Mall, the Dusit Hotel, and the Times Tower in Nairobi. They have not only carried out attacks on commercial centers, but also on well-known educational institutions such as Garissa University, as well as other areas such as police stations and communities, leaving behind scars that are difficult to heal.

The Garissa university attack served as a wake-up call to all Kenya's knowledge citadels, necessitating the implementation of stringent security measures to ensure the safety of the thousands of students enrolled in institutions of higher learning. The attack, which resulted in many casualties and deaths while also discrediting various prominent centers, served as a wake-up call to TIBS College management. As a result, they chose professionalism as a means of countering a terrorist attack at any time. The best option for this exercise was to train a large number of students and faculty on how to respond to a terrorist attack.

The college hosted a team from the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) on August 23, 2021, to provide training for various staff and students. The day's topic, COUNTER TERRORISM AND SECURITY VULNERABILITY SENSITIZATION, was facilitated by four NCTC officials with the goal of raising overall awareness of terrorism.

The event began at 9:00 a.m. with an interactive and hyperactive introduction from one of the facilitators, who captivated the audience with his humorous emceeing techniques. Mr. David began the event by navigating through ?various topics, including the training's goal, expectations, and objectives, as well as a quote from the famous United States Navy Seals general William H. McRaven, who said, "if you can't do the little things right, you'll never do the big things right." To emphasize the quotation, he emphasized the importance of spreading our beds in the morning, as this ensures a stress-free sleep in contrast to a stressful and exhausting day, because the little things matter.

Furthermore, he elaborated on the definition of NCTC, highlighting its roots and functions in the areas of jurisdiction. NCTC's origins can be traced back to the Security Law Amendment Act of 2014, but it has been in operation since 2004. Some of the functions include providing security certifications for aviation schools and acting as a counter-terrorism coordination mechanism. The witty facilitator emphasized Word security, which is the organization's main pillar.

To that end, he went on to demonstrate the government's efforts to establish the key pillars of radicalization, including the most important plan of the state, which highlighted the nine ideological pillars of radicalization and extremism. The National Strategy for Countering Violent Extremism (NSCVE) has had a significant impact on the workability and manageability of the anti-terrorism task force, making it easier for the organization to function.

To elucidate on his presentation, he described terrorism and terrorists, thereby achieving the main goal of his presentation. By defining those two terms, the audience present gained an understanding of the main goal of terrorism, which is to instill fear through terrorism through the use of unlawful violence, causing great harm and negative effect on the public. They are also attention seekers, so they will do anything to gain publicity, even if it means using unethical methods, which will taint religion.

Furthermore, he delved deeper into the forms of terrorism, the organization and structures of terror groups, the terrorist planning cycle, and the terrorist target, concluding by shedding light on the fact that bright students have been used widely to enforce their agenda because the majority of them are the main sympathizers of terrorism and thus easily radicalized.

The facilitator also introduced a seemingly cliché topic, radicalization, which essentially means taking a radical stance on political or social issues. However, his presentation was amicably to the topic of discussion, radicalization into extremism, specifically violent extremism. He progressed to the stages of radicalization, from the individual world to the time of action. After finishing this topic, he went over the pathways to radicalization, which included the steps to radicalization as well as the places for radicalization.

The second presenter began by categorizing everyone as a security personnel at TIBS college, merely imagining a scenario. He used a well-illustrated example of what happens before, during, and after an attack. To begin, he kicked off the interactive session by discussing what to do if you see a suspicious-looking person, a suspicious bag or item left discarded, if you hear a possible bomb blast, and reviving a now-disreputable business. With all of these examples, he was able to provide the most appropriate countermeasures while emphasizing the importance of never ignoring self instincts or gut feelings.

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The facilitator concluded his presentation with a topic on insider threats, where he was able to provide management with tips on how to handle an insider threat with the primary goal of reducing the risk. Reducing insider threats helps to ensure the safety of those on the premises as well as the safety of the premise itself.

The third facilitator was more practical, witty, and informative near the end of the event. As a result, he was able to enlighten the members present on the subject of explosives. The masses were able to understand what they really were theoretically by defining it. He also discussed explosions and what they are made of, as well as the effects of fragmentation and the inferno effect, using a well-illustrated image of an explosion and its components, as well as short graphic images of the aftermath.

With safety as a top priority, the facilitator demonstrated what to do in the event of a grenade attack; this is an army strategy that allows them to survive even if they have fractured and distorted body parts. In addition, he provided several precautions to take in the event of an explosion. The life-saving measures really captivated the staff and students who had for a very long time believed on the movie misconception that a hand grenade can be picked up from where it has been thrown and returned to the sender; unfortunately, they learned that the grenade explodes after only three seconds, so three steps are required for survival. To round out the safety discussion, he insisted on what to do if you become trapped in debris.

To conclude the training, the facilitators took the audience to a world that has long been hidden from the public, making them vulnerable to danger, the world of explosives, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that are designed to cause death or injury. Contrary to their expectations, the students were astounded to see weapons of mass destruction, which they expected to be large, horrifying metals, but were astounded to see IEDs made out of simple improvised tools.

The facilitator concluded the training by presenting four different measures of safety during and before an explosion. The audience was given the opportunity to ask their burning questions, which were answered on the spot, as well as to express their criticism, which allowed for more ideas on how to combat terrorism.