East Africa Security Governance Forum

Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector on Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism

April 8–11, 2025

Information Note
Schedule
Syllabus
Biographies

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Dr. Catherine Lena Kelly
Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Africa Center for Strategic Studies

The Honorable George Peter Kaluma
Fifth Chairperson of the Speaker’s Panel of the National Assembly of Kenya

Examine the nature, scope, and impact of terrorism and violent extremism in East Africa.
Understand the drivers and root causes of these patterns, as well as the key actors involved in the perpetration and the financing of terrorist and violent extremist acts.
Evaluate the existing kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to countering terrorism and violent extremism that East African states have used, as well as their degree of success.

Delineate parliamentarians’ responsibilities in oversight of the security sector’s efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
Understand the core roles that the primary security services play in oversight processes related to CT/CVE.
Familiarize with a practical framework for analyzing the quality of oversight of the security sector, based on assessing the “3As”: ability (whether legislators have the resources and capacity to conduct oversight), authority (whether legislators have the legal mandate and standing orders to conduct oversight), and attitude (whether legislators have the motivation and incentives to conduct oversight).

Compare and contrast the various approaches that African police services have used, independently and in collaboration with other military and civilian officials, to counter terrorism and violent extremism in East Africa.
Analyze the successes and challenges that eastern African parliamentary officials have experienced in the exercise of their oversight roles and responsibilities in CT/CVE.
Assess how parliamentarians can work with the state and civil society to foster the professionalism of the police services vis-à-vis citizens through their work, as well as to ensure that the police are furnished with the resources they need to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

Assess the current state of national and regional CT/CVE strategies in East Africa and analyze key features of the content of these strategies.
Discuss how parliamentarians and parliamentary staff can work with national security advisory bodies to monitor and evaluate the implementation of CT/CVE and wider national security strategies.
Consider the possible roles that defense and security officials as well as parliamentarians and staff can play with civil society in developing and maintaining local CT/CVE action plans within their countries.

Assess the tools and techniques that parliamentarians can use to effectively oversee defense and security budgets for CT/CVE throughout the budget cycle.
Discuss how parliamentarians and security sector officials should deal with secret and classified information that is relevant to budgetary oversight of CT/CVE efforts.
Analyze approaches and tools that parliamentarians have to ensure the appropriate management of security and defense procurements related to CT/CVE, so that they can be maximally efficient and effective in addressing the threat.

Consider the approaches and tools that parliamentary and defense/security officials can use to help governments establish CT/CVE strategies, policies, and budgets that reflect the interests of constituents and civil society.
Take stock of ways that parliamentarians and defense/security officials can learn from the citizens they serve about people’s CT/CVE concerns, whether through site visits, research consultations, open days at government institutions, constituency funds, civil affairs work, etc.
Analyze the tools that parliamentarians and security sector officials have to enhance their media communications with constituents about CT/CVE issues and policies.