(Mwongela Mbiti is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a Human Rights Activist)
The January 15 DusitD2 hotel and office complex terrorist attack adds to the list of Al-Shabaab militant attacks on Kenyan soil.
Lest we forget, the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabab has perpetrated two large-scale attacks in Kenya in the recent past: the September 2013 siege of Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall, and the April 2015 attack on Garissa University in northeastern Kenya.
The Somali terror group intensified attacks in Kenya following the 2011 decision to send Kenyan military on the offensive in Somalia under the ‘Operation Linda Nchi’ banner and the continued stay under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in order to impel the country to withdraw from Somalia.
Of greatest concern now is the involvement of Kenyans in executing terror attacks on Kenyan soil with this trend becoming almost predictable bringing to the fore the issue of radicalization. Media reports suggest that the DusitD2 attackers were an all-Kenyan crew most of whom had recently converted to Islam and hand been radicalized. It’s noteworthy that Kenyans are becoming increasingly vulnerable and are comprising the largest contingent of foreign fighters in al-Shabab. Several Kenyans have been arrested on their way to join terror groups as reports of missing youths in the North Eastern and Coast who have crossed to Somalia are on the rise.
In recent years, Kenyans have also sought to join ISIS in the group’s strongholds abroad. Between 2016 and 2018 alone, four Kenyans have been arrested for attempting to join ISIS and others after escaping ISIS in Libya. In March 2018 though, a Kenyan terror suspect Mohamed Shukri Abdiwahid Yerrow successfully joined ISIS in Yemen, according to Kenyan security sources.
So what is drawing Kenyans to terror groups? According to a 2015 investigation by Aljazeera, Youth unemployment in Kenya is a big concern where almost three-quarters of the population is under the age of 35. The report noted that poverty and hopelessness have pushed thousands of Kenyans to join illegal groups just to earn a living and end their desperation. Other drivers to violent extremism include the desire for heroism, mental manipulation through religion and obtaining paradise stemming from the belief that al-Shabab is conducting valid jihad in defence of God’s religion.
Kenya developed its National Strategy to Combat Violent Extremism in September 2016 that was intended to create synergies and pooling resources from government, civil society, and the private sector in support of counterterrorism efforts spearheaded by the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC). The government efforts, however, have not received the necessary support from various stakeholders as in their view, it has got the strategies wrong. The harsh aspects of its implementation have exacerbated historical conflicts between the government and the Muslim community as Muslim leaders have decried that Muslim youths have become an object of Bourne.
Apparently, Kenya’s sizable Muslim population has borne the brunt of security measures that have enabled human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture attracting condemnation from religious leaders and civil society.
To achieve meaningful change in counterterrorism efforts, the government should consider involving key stakeholders to enhance ownership and trust. The major stakeholders that should play an active role are the communities, local NGOs, the private sector and religious organizations.
The government should support activities aimed at strengthening collaboration between the police and citizens as a means of violent extremism prevention to address issues of mutual mistrust and lack of confidence as they are frequently mentioned as an obstacle to cooperation.
Further, the government should partner and support NGOs and religious organizations in de-radicalization efforts, monitoring and reporting radicalization and addressing the youth’s economic marginalization, which is a key driver to violent extremism. My condolences to the deceased’s families and best wishes for holistic healing of the survivors of DusitD2 attack. A united Kenya will always prevail.
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