USAID KENYA Strengthening Community Resilience Against Extremism (SCORE) Final Report

in Kenya from October 2014 to September 2019, aimed to strengthen community resilience against extremism. The activity was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through two award instruments: a contract (AID-615-C-14-00013) and a cooperative agreement (72061518CA005). The SCORE Activity focused on the coastal region of Kenya, where violent extremism was prevalent. The activity's approach involved building relationships between communities and government agencies, as well as between civil society organizations (CSOs) and the government. This was achieved through a range of interventions, including capacity building, policy development, and community engagement. One of the notable qualitative results achieved by SCORE was the stabilization of the coastal region of Kenya. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report, Kenya's ranking improved from 12th in 2014 to 19th in 2018, indicating a reduction in terrorism incidents. Additionally, the Tourism Sector Performance Report 2018 noted a 42% improvement in foreign tourist arrivals since 2015, with Mombasa and the coastal region accounting for the majority of these arrivals. SCORE also contributed to the development of a policy environment for preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) in Kenya. The activity supported the development of the first County P/CVE Action Plan (CAP) in Kwale County, which was launched in September 2016. The CAP was responsive to the county's unique violent extremism landscape and made P/CVE initiatives a shared responsibility between the county and national governments, as well as civil society. Furthermore, SCORE improved relationships between communities and government agencies, as well as between CSOs and the government. In 2015, Haki Africa, a SCORE sub-awardee, was wrongly accused by the government for abetting terrorism. However, through relationship building initiatives by SCORE, Haki Africa became a consultant/advisor to the state on PCVE by 2019. The capacity building of local partners (sub-awardees) CSOs has contributed to their sustainability and made them stronger and more sustainable peace and PCVE advocates. Out of 18 CSOs that received sub-awards and capacity strengthening support from SCORE, 16 have already received additional funding from other sources, including UNDP, DANIDA, and the State Department. The activity's implementation was overseen by a team of experts, including a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team. The team conducted regular monitoring and evaluation activities to assess the activity's progress and identify areas for improvement. The SCORE Activity's success can be attributed to its focus on building community resilience against extremism, as well as its commitment to capacity building and policy development. The activity's approach has contributed to the stabilization of the coastal region of Kenya and improved relationships between communities and government agencies, as well as between CSOs and the government.