Assessment of Kenya’s Counter-Terrorism Strategies and Their Implications on National Security, 2011–2019
| dc.contributor.author | Meroka, B. Onsinyo | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-03-16T12:37:15Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-03-16T12:37:15Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-11 | |
| dc.description | A Thesis Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy of Kenyatta University, November 2025 Supervisors; 1.Peter Wekesa 2.Boniface Muoka | |
| dc.description.abstract | Global terrorism has grown to be a threat and a common problem that countries face in the 21st century. Following Kenya's incursion in Somalia in 2011, the country has become a soft target for terror attacks that have challenged its national security, prompting the government to undertake various counter-terrorism strategies to mitigate the vice. This study examined Kenya's counter-terrorism strategies and their impact on national security from 2011 to 2019. The following objectives guided the research: to analyse the nature of Kenya's counter-terrorism strategies during this period; to explore the implications of these strategies on its national security; as well as to evaluate the challenges faced by security agencies in implementing Kenya's counter-terrorism measures from 2011 to 2019. The study relied on Securitization Theory as a tool of analysis. To achieve the study objectives, the researcher employed a descriptive survey research design. The research was conducted in Nairobi City County, utilizing purposive and snowball sampling techniques to identify interview respondents. The study sampled key informants that were drawn from the Ministry of Defence, the National Counterterrorism Centre, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Director of Public Prosecution, Judiciary, security experts, Horn Institute for Strategic Studies and the Institute of Security Studies. The study employed Primary data derived from in-depth key informant interview guides. Secondary data was obtained from textbooks, journals, newspaper articles, scholarly magazines, publication press, libraries and different research-related organizations on security studies. The study revealed that the government was using military interventions as its key strategy for counter-terrorism. The study noted the government was implementing security measures in response to increasing radicalization and levels of extremism in Kenya. The study also revealed that lack of integrity in various security institutions weakened their capabilities to handle terrorism. Terrorist organizations were also using a variety of socioeconomic reasons to infiltrate the Kenyan community and breed terrorism. The study recommended the need for proper multiagency security coordination, particularly in the zones of comprehensive intelligence information gathering, analysing and sharing data. According to the study, these problems have significantly and extensively impacted Kenya's national security | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/32764 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.title | Assessment of Kenya’s Counter-Terrorism Strategies and Their Implications on National Security, 2011–2019 | |
| dc.type | Thesis |