Implications of International Terrorism on the Art of Equipping Anti Terrorism Police Unit in Kenya. A Case of Mombasa County

Abstract

International terrorists groups have planned and executed terrorist’s attacks leading to massive deaths of the civilians, damaging of property, economic decline, state failure and near state collapse in some parts of the world. Due to its vulnerability and various terrorists’ attacks within its homeland, Kenya has adopted counterterrorism measures spearheaded by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU). However, increased terror related attacks and proliferation of terrorist related activities has ignited a debate on the art of equipping the ATPU. Hence, the study was undertaken to examine the art of equipping ATPU in Kenya. Mombasa County presented the study area while the period of study spanned from 1998-2018. The study was anchored on non-cooperative game theory while employing a combined methods research design. Data collected using surveys was analyzed through SPSS while content analysis was employed to examine data from narrative interviews and the focus groups discussion. The study established that ATPU lacks access to diverse weapons, protective gear, vehicles and information and ICT facilities that aid ATPU in countering international terrorism in the spaces provided by the internet. Additionally, though ATPU receives basic police training, the ever mutating terrorists’ trends necessitate a continuous training. Therefore, the study recommended the expansion of training of ATPU both locally and abroad besides benchmarking with states with better systems. Moreover, a shift in the allocation of resources from reactive to proactive aspect of countering international terrorism. Besides, provision of necessary manpower, tools and equipment will ensure a better trained and armed ATPU leading to an operationally prepared ATPU.