COUNTERING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM THROUGH NATIONAL POLICING; A CASE STUDY OF KENYA

Abstract

The study examined countering international terrorism through national policing using the case study of Kenya. The study sought to find out whether national policing has reduced and eliminated terrorist activities in Kenya, the effect that the national police has had on countering international terrorism in Kenya, whether national policy implementation has been done to counter international terrorism and whether the deployment of national police to their home locality has had any impact on international terrorism. This was done with the view to making recommendations on how to find long lasting solutions. This study was based on neo-authenticity theory which contends that the world legislative issues are basically and unchangeably a battle among self-intrigued states for power and position under rebellion, and utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study found that despite the various measures put in place over the years, more needs to be done to fight against terrorism and that the weakest link in this fight is that the government is yet to identify patriotic sentiment upon which to rally citizens in the fight against terror. In addition, the spread of international terrorism in Kenya can be attributed to inefficiency in governance thus: government’s inability to effectively take charge and exercise its authority over all its territory; failure to address historical grievances, pervasive corruption, growing youth unemployment and hardline counter terror approaches that ethicize terrorism. Terrorism has shaped governance in Kenya by influencing law and policy formulations as well government decisions that in turn shape the political, social and economic order in Kenya. Based on these findings, the following recommendations are deemed to be appropriate: At the policy level, the government should make a national resolve to de-politicize and de-ethicize the war against terror. Politicians and citizens alike should embrace this approach regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliations. The government should encourage deployment of the National Police in their home localities as a counter narrative for violent extremism by finding a patriotic issue to rally Kenyans around to deter them from radicalization. The government must recognize that women are both victims as well as perpetrators of terrorism, hence the need to include gender in formulation of counter terror measures and assessment of the differential impact on men and women in the war against terror. At academic level the research findings will be crucial in contributing to the body of knowledge on countering international terrorism. Researchers interested in this topic will borrow a leaf from the study findings. The following are suggested areas for further research. Countering international terrorism through national policing in other regions in Africa; Kenya’s counterterrorism in the era of a legal counterterrorism framework from 2015 onwards, and harmonizing national and regional counter terror measures in the fight against terrorism in Kenya.