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Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya

Received: 9 May 2023    Accepted: 29 May 2023    Published: 10 June 2023
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Abstract

The threat of violent extremist groups across the globe cannot be ignored as it is a multi-national problem. Appropriate response strategies need to be put in place by governments and regional economic blocks to mitigate the potential threats within the framework of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Research findings have revealed that, there is limited documented research done on the effectiveness of the CVE strategies being employed by these parties in countering the terrorism menace. Further, it reveals lack of a single consensus pathway to violent extremism, which in turn has proven complex especially in designing best practices for CVE in Kenya. Kenya is continuously under the threat of Al-Shabaab terrorist organization which has claimed attacks within the Kenyan boundaries. This study, therefore, sought to explore the success of national government use of soft approaches and the mitigation measures to make it achieve its objectives of ensuring a secure environment to her citizens. The study used class theory of terrorism and the rational choice theory to provide the necessary theoretical background. Descriptive research methodology was employed for this study and the respondents were drawn from the national government officers in Garissa County. The research reached out to 44 respondents from the national government, Garissa County. Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was used to acquire required data. Collected information underwent thorough cleaning, editing, and thematic grouping for qualitative analysis. Key finding from the study showed that Life skill trainings enhance CVE programmes and are very important interventions for reducing repetition and radicalization to violent extremism among children and youth offenders in Kenya to improve safety and security. Community engagement initiatives have created safe, mentored spaces for individuals to freely express themselves and challenge one another's beliefs. The study also underlined the greater role played by media in the fight against radicalization and VE. The study concludes that government should embrace partnership across board, put in place soft approaches, conduct threat analysis so as to adopt right strategies and also, address root causes of VE. Key recommendations include: Partnership for VE mitigation, Strengthening the capacity of institutions involved in CVE, Identification and addressing the local pull and push factors and addressing grievances that may lead to radicalization and recruitment.

Published in Journal of Public Policy and Administration (Volume 7, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15
Page(s) 67-76
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Soft Approaches, Extremism, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), Radicalisation, Community Engagement

References
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  • APA Style

    Timothy Mwalimu, Wilson Muna. (2023). Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya. Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 7(2), 67-76. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15

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    ACS Style

    Timothy Mwalimu; Wilson Muna. Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya. J. Public Policy Adm. 2023, 7(2), 67-76. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15

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    AMA Style

    Timothy Mwalimu, Wilson Muna. Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya. J Public Policy Adm. 2023;7(2):67-76. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15,
      author = {Timothy Mwalimu and Wilson Muna},
      title = {Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya},
      journal = {Journal of Public Policy and Administration},
      volume = {7},
      number = {2},
      pages = {67-76},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20230702.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jppa.20230702.15},
      abstract = {The threat of violent extremist groups across the globe cannot be ignored as it is a multi-national problem. Appropriate response strategies need to be put in place by governments and regional economic blocks to mitigate the potential threats within the framework of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Research findings have revealed that, there is limited documented research done on the effectiveness of the CVE strategies being employed by these parties in countering the terrorism menace. Further, it reveals lack of a single consensus pathway to violent extremism, which in turn has proven complex especially in designing best practices for CVE in Kenya. Kenya is continuously under the threat of Al-Shabaab terrorist organization which has claimed attacks within the Kenyan boundaries. This study, therefore, sought to explore the success of national government use of soft approaches and the mitigation measures to make it achieve its objectives of ensuring a secure environment to her citizens. The study used class theory of terrorism and the rational choice theory to provide the necessary theoretical background. Descriptive research methodology was employed for this study and the respondents were drawn from the national government officers in Garissa County. The research reached out to 44 respondents from the national government, Garissa County. Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was used to acquire required data. Collected information underwent thorough cleaning, editing, and thematic grouping for qualitative analysis. Key finding from the study showed that Life skill trainings enhance CVE programmes and are very important interventions for reducing repetition and radicalization to violent extremism among children and youth offenders in Kenya to improve safety and security. Community engagement initiatives have created safe, mentored spaces for individuals to freely express themselves and challenge one another's beliefs. The study also underlined the greater role played by media in the fight against radicalization and VE. The study concludes that government should embrace partnership across board, put in place soft approaches, conduct threat analysis so as to adopt right strategies and also, address root causes of VE. Key recommendations include: Partnership for VE mitigation, Strengthening the capacity of institutions involved in CVE, Identification and addressing the local pull and push factors and addressing grievances that may lead to radicalization and recruitment.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya
    AU  - Timothy Mwalimu
    AU  - Wilson Muna
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    AB  - The threat of violent extremist groups across the globe cannot be ignored as it is a multi-national problem. Appropriate response strategies need to be put in place by governments and regional economic blocks to mitigate the potential threats within the framework of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Research findings have revealed that, there is limited documented research done on the effectiveness of the CVE strategies being employed by these parties in countering the terrorism menace. Further, it reveals lack of a single consensus pathway to violent extremism, which in turn has proven complex especially in designing best practices for CVE in Kenya. Kenya is continuously under the threat of Al-Shabaab terrorist organization which has claimed attacks within the Kenyan boundaries. This study, therefore, sought to explore the success of national government use of soft approaches and the mitigation measures to make it achieve its objectives of ensuring a secure environment to her citizens. The study used class theory of terrorism and the rational choice theory to provide the necessary theoretical background. Descriptive research methodology was employed for this study and the respondents were drawn from the national government officers in Garissa County. The research reached out to 44 respondents from the national government, Garissa County. Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was used to acquire required data. Collected information underwent thorough cleaning, editing, and thematic grouping for qualitative analysis. Key finding from the study showed that Life skill trainings enhance CVE programmes and are very important interventions for reducing repetition and radicalization to violent extremism among children and youth offenders in Kenya to improve safety and security. Community engagement initiatives have created safe, mentored spaces for individuals to freely express themselves and challenge one another's beliefs. The study also underlined the greater role played by media in the fight against radicalization and VE. The study concludes that government should embrace partnership across board, put in place soft approaches, conduct threat analysis so as to adopt right strategies and also, address root causes of VE. Key recommendations include: Partnership for VE mitigation, Strengthening the capacity of institutions involved in CVE, Identification and addressing the local pull and push factors and addressing grievances that may lead to radicalization and recruitment.
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Author Information
  • Department of Public Policy and Administration, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Department of Public Policy and Administration, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

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