Prevalence of Improvised Explosives Devices and Related Terrorist Attacks in Garissa County, Kenya (2017-2021)
Loading...
Date
2021
Authors
Mwinga, Samson Njeru
Ichani, Xavier Francis
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Path of Science
Abstract
There has been a steady rise in the prevalence and frequency of improvised Explosives Devices (IED) to execute terror attacks in Kenya in the recent past.
This has resulted in increased loss of lives and massive property destruction,
among other negative impacts of terrorism. The purpose of this article was to ascertain the prevalence of IEDs, hotspots, targets of attack, the distribution of the attacks over the years and the geolocations of deployed IEDs and related terrorist attacks in Garissa County, Kenya. The target population was serving members of the
National Police Service (NPS), civil society organizations (CSO), national government administrative officers (NGAOs) and members of the local community. The
researcher adopted a descriptive survey research design. Mixed sampling methods
were adopted. Stratified sampling was used to cluster members of NPS, according
to their Services which include: Kenya Police, Administration Police and Directorate
of Criminal Investigation. Purposive sampling was used to select Sub-counties for
the study and identify critical informants from CSO, NGAO and members of local
communities. Questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions and key informants’ interviews guides were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed by the use of simple descriptive statistics like percentages,
frequencies.
In contrast, qualitative data were analyzed using open coding to generate themes
that the researcher analyzed using thematic analysis. The results were presented
using tables, pie charts, bar graphs, and narratives. The study observed that Garissa
County, Kenya, had not been spared by the brunt of the IED menace mainly orchestrated by the Al-Shabaab terrorist group. The study further noted that IEDs kill thousands every year, inflict grievous physical injuries, cause dire psychological harm,
spread extreme fear, and disrupt communal economic activities. IEDs mainly target
security forces and critical national infrastructure members, and most often than
not, civilian casualties have been reported.
Moreover, IEDs are relatively cheap and easy to assemble. They can also be assembled anywhere and from various materials, including commercial explosives used in
construction, mining, and manufacturing. Therefore, the study will add practical value to the Kenya security agencies security operations preparedness body of
knowledge. This is expected to guide them in developing effective and efficient
Counter IED policies, strategies, and guidelines to enhance the efforts to combat
this security menace.
Description
Article
Keywords
Improvised explosive device, Garissa County, Kenya, security agencies, prevalence, IED attacks, counter IED preparedness
Citation
Mwinga, S. N., & Ichani, X. F. (2021). Prevalence of Improvised Explosives Devices and Related Terrorist Attacks in Garissa County, Kenya (2017-2021). Traektoriâ Nauki= Path of Science, 7(10), 1001-1009.