Counter-terrorism Strategies in Mombasa County: Analyzing Implementation Approaches to Mitigate Radicalization

Summary

The purpose of the study was to investigate the role and impact of Counter-Terrorism Strategies (CTS) in preventing radicalization in Mombasa County, Kenya. However, the Kenyan government through the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the Anti Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) has continued to battle with radicalization especially in Mombasa County. Groups like Al-Shabaab remained active in the recruitment and radicalization of individuals for their cause, driven by both socio-economic factors and political exclusion, as well as ideological manipulation. The government after engaging in counterterrorism has encountered a number of difficulties such as human rights abuses, lack of community cooperation and the incorporation of hard and soft measures in combating radicalization. Some of these were conventional military operations accused of involved in extra judicial killings while others were soft power interventions like de radicalization initiatives that faced funding constraints and community skepticism. The study used survey descriptive research design with both quantitative and qualitative data, involving n=117 participants to assess the effects of CTS on radicalization in Mombasa County. Interviewing respondents from local communities, governmental officers, religious authorities and security forces, the study assessed whether counter-terrorism measures were helping to lessen radicalization or worsened it instead. These insights were important in understanding the balance of hard and soft CTS and the relationship between communities and the reasons underlying radicalization. In conclusion, the study provides actionable intelligence guided counter-terrorism strategies that can effectively and efficiently dismantle extremism, without infringing on any human rights, towards the goal of attaining sustainable security in Mombasa County.

Keywords

Kenya, Mombasa County, Community Engagement, Counter-terrorism, De radicalisation Programs, Radicalisation & Security Strategies

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