THE ROLE OF CIVILIANS IN COMBATING TERRORISM; A CASE STUDY OF KENYA 2010-2016
Abstract
In Kenya as in the rest of the world, terrorism is a huge challenge. It threatens to bring down state security and crumble economies. Terrorist attacks have happened in Nairobi, Mombasa, Madera, Carissa and Wajir Counties in Kenya. The attacks have various targets such as churches, market places, public transport systems and military camps. The main aim of this study was to examine the role that the civilians ought to play in fighting terrorism in Kenya. Three specific objectives form the foundation of the study: to highlight the effects of terrorism on civilians, to establish the role of civilians in dealing with terrorism and to assess the challenges facing civilian capacity for addressing terrorism in Kenya. The globalization theory will anchor this study showing the effects of terroristic attack on civilians. The study found that civilian population is important in winning the war against terrorism. The study rejected the first hypothesis and pointed that there are significant effects on the civilian population in Kenya. This is due to the fact that as stated in the results, terrorism has brought a lot of suffering to the civilian population in Kenya. It has led to deaths, injuries, disruption of livelihoods among many such negative consequences. The study found that the civilian population has roles that they can play in eradicating terrorism. They can start from the point of view of community policing where they liaise with security agencies to eliminate potential terrorists amongst them. They may participate in campaigns aimed at eliminating religious fundamentalism which is usually a ground used by terrorists to recruit new members. Therefore, the second objective was rejected and conclusion made that there are significant roles of civilians in fighting terrorism. The third hypothesis was also rejected since the civilian population has significant challenges in the fight against terrorism. The results of the study indicated that there are several challenges facing the civilian wish to combat terrorism in Kenya. They include; marginalization of youths, youth unemployment, indiscriminate arrests of youths and corruption. The study concluded that the civilian population has had direct and indirect effects emanating from the menace of terrorism in Kenya. Innocent people have been killed or maimed in the various terror attacks witnessed as well as loss of property and livelihood.
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