Could the Kenya’s Civil Society Organisations be a Panacea to the Country’s Violent Extremism and Terrorism?

Abstract

Since the late 20th century, the world has been dogged by the horrific attacks by the terrorist groups. In response, several international counterterrorism rules and policies on security measures have been developed and adopted by the states. However, despite the enactment of various measures, there has not been a remarkable progress in the elimination or prevention of violent extremism, radicalization and terrorism attacks. Through a literature review, this paper examined the roles that the Kenyan civil society can engage into in order to eliminate and prevent the violent extremism and terrorism being experienced in the country. Among the identified initiatives include advisory and educative roles, engaging with extremists, legal roles, advocacy, research roles, conducting moderated inter and intra-faith debates, and capacity building. Therefore, the government and the international community should accord the necessary support to the civil society organisations.