Gendered identities, media narratives, and violent extremism in Kenya: Rethinking peacebuilding in the Gospel of Christ

Summary

Kenya's struggle with violent extremism is shaped not only by security dynamics but by the narratives through which communities interpret identity, harm, and belonging. This study examines how gendered identities and theological commitments influence Kenyan media and faith-based communication on VE, and identifies practices that support ethical, inclusive, and dignity-affirming public discourse. Anchored in Feminist Media Theory, intersectionality, and Gospel-Anchored Public Theology, the study integrates gender, representation, and theological ethics to illuminate how media and faith actors shape public meaning-making around extremism. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed where Kenyan media guidelines, regional P/CVE policy, African feminist hermeneutics, and public theology literature were synthesised through systematic content analysis. The second phase included primary data collection via an anonymous online survey. Data were analysed thematically and integrated across phases. Findings reveal persistent gendered tropes in VE reporting, yet counter-publics, particularly women's groups and Muslim youth initiatives are actively producing alternative, dignity-centred narratives. Media practitioners exhibit strong ethical instincts but face institutional gaps, including limited Islamophobia training, weak verification systems, and inadequate duty-of-care protocols. Faith leaders demonstrate commitment to gender justice and restorative communication but express low confidence in applying "do-no-harm" approaches under pressure. Both sectors affirm that ethical, contextualised reporting and theologically informed truth-telling can reduce tension and strengthen social cohesion. The study concludes that integrating gender-aware media ethics with gospel-anchored public theology offers a transformative framework for narrative-justice in Kenya's VE landscape.

Keywords

gendered identities, media narratives, violent extremism, Kenya, feminist media theory, intersectionality