Corruption And The War On Terror In Kenya, 2009 - 2019

Abstract

The study investigates corruption and the war on terror in Kenya between 2009 and 2019. The country has experienced increased terrorist attacks emanating from Al-Shabaab terror group operating in Somalia and with active cells in other countries in the region. These attacks caused loss of lives, destruction of properties and negatively affected key sectors of the economy such as security and tourism. In response, Kenya employed a number of strategies to defeat the threat of terrorism. The strategies however, did not achieve the desired results and their ineffectiveness is blamed on corruption. This study therefore seeks to explore the impact of corruption on the effectiveness of counterterrorism strategies employed in Kenya. The general objective of this study is to investigate the impact of corruption on counterterrorism strategies in Kenya. The significant of the study is to add value to the understanding of the impact of corruption on counterterrorism and help policy makers formulate and adopt strategies to effectively counter terrorism in Kenya. The study is anchored on the deterrence theory of punishment that posits people are motivated to obtain pleasure and avoid pain. According to this theory, crime can be deterred by increasing the punishment for committing it and since people are rational self-interested actors, they will avoid crime if the costs of committing it exceed the benefits. The study adopted descriptive research design using both primary and secondary data. The study used the deterrence theory of punishment to analyze the data gathered on the capacity building and criminal justice counterterrorism strategies. The study concludes that the ineffectiveness of these strategies is partially due to corruption. The study recommends that the government should address corruption in all it is institutions and increase budgetary allocation for the sectors in the forefront of fighting terrorism. It further, recommends that the security agencies should adopt multiagency approach and engage all the stakeholders to effectively combat terrorism. The study suggests further research on the effectiveness of counter radicalization strategy and comparative study on the counterterrorism strategies employed by countries that had similar experiences of terrorist attacks such as Ethiopia and India.