Effectiveness of Police Security Measures in Addressing Violent Extremism in Mombasa County, Kenya
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Date
2021
Authors
Omumbo, Martin Otieno
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Violent extremism is the root cause of terrorist attacks on civilian and security
apparatus alike. The violent extremists cause fear and disrupt the tranquillity in
societies across the world. Despite several hard measures taken by various security
agencies across the world, the acts of violent extremism have not decreased. This
study examined the measures taken by the police to address violent extremism and its
effectiveness in Mombasa County, Kenya. The main objectives of the study were to
establish the causes of violent extremism and the effectiveness of measures adopted
by the police in curbing the same; to discuss the challenges the police are facing in
curbing violent extremism; and finally, to determine the approaches that the police
can use to improve counter violent extremism measures in Mombasa County. This
study was guided by Program Evaluation Theory by Chen which was used to
scrutinize the theoretical background as well as discuss the findings. The conceptual
framework showed that acts of violent extremism are dependent on the
countermeasures the police take against violent extremism. The study adopted a
survey design where both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were
used through the application of questionnaires and personal interviews. The targeted
population was total of 1693 comprising of police officers, prisons officers, and
religious and civil society leaders in Mombasa County. A sample of 10% was picked
from the group using simple random, snowballing and purposive sampling techniques.
Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic and content review of the literature
gathered while Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive frequencies, pie
charts, bar graphs and mean determined with the aid of the Statistical Program for
Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings were presented in a scientific report for
examination. The physical security measures were established to be only suitable for
short term preventions, whereas non-physical security measures provided more
accurate and long-lasting solutions to the problem of violent extremism.
Radicalisation by radical clerics who take advantage of the poverty challenges facing
the members of the communities in Mombasa County was established as the main
driver towards violent extremism. Engagement of local communities by the
authorities counter-narratives and rehabilitation of surrendered terrorists were
established to be the most convenient countermeasures. However, lack of adequate
resources, training and poor police-community relations were found to be the major
challenges. The study concluded that police actions against violent extremists had
both direct and indirect impact on the levels of terrorism and recommended the use of
intelligence in the countermeasures. The study recommended further research on the
effectiveness of the police measures in addressing violent extremism over a different
time frame and place in and outside Kenya.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Security Diplomacy and Peace Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of Arts Degree in Leadership and Security Management of Kenyatta University, May, 2021
Keywords
Effectiveness, Police Security Measures, Addressing Violent Extremism, Mombasa County, Kenya