Before the rise of the Al-Shabaab, Eastern Africa was home to different organizational nodes of the Al- Qaeda network. Al-Qaeda was responsible for many threats, of which include the August 7, 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. As terrorism threats have evolved over the years, countermeasures have continued to do the same. Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya: Community, State, and Security Perspectives by John Mwangi explores Kenya's historical experiences with terrorism in the pre and posts 9/11 periods as a lens to situate how different stakeholders present the threats of extremism and the associated counter-measures they consider as valuable. The stakeholders presented throughout this book include: security actors, society organizations, academics, and community members. Through extended ethnographic research and fieldwork collected from focus groups within Nairobi and Mombasa between 2016 and 2022, Mwangi offers an opportunity to observe the evolution of counter-terrorism interventions in Kenya and the dilemmas this has created around primarily state-society relations, an exploration of how different stakeholders perceive the efficacy of counter-terrorism measures, and the appraisal of counter-terrorism initiative (CT) interventions that render ongoing CVE interventions less effective.
John Mwangi Githigaro is senior research fellow at the Global Centre for Policy and Strategy.
Acknowledgments Introduction: Context and Methodology Chapter 1: Kenya's Experiences with Terrorism in the Pre and Post 9-11 Chapter 2: Security Officials' Perception of Extremism and Counter-Violent Extremism in Kenya Chapter 3: Community Perspectives on Extremism and Violent Extremism in Nairobi Chapter 4: Community Perspectives on Countering Violent Extremism in Mombasa County Chapter 5: Post Script: Dilemmas in Implementing CT and CVE Interventions in Kenya Conclusion References Author the Author
Africa has become the new battleground for jihadists. Understanding why this is so, is crucial if one seeks to defeat the menace of Islamist terror. In this groundbreaking study, John Githigaro examines pathways to extremism and counter-terrorism in Kenya from the perspective of both the state and local communities. Theoretically anchored, empirically sound with extensive primary interviews conducted to support the extensive secondary works consulted, this book is a must for academics and policymakers. -- Hussein Solomon, University of the Free State
