Effects of the Al-shabaab Mobile and Online Fundings on Kenya’s Counterterrorism Measures

Abstract

Al-shabaab extensive use of online platforms for purpose of funding their activities is a threat to the efforts to counter terrorism. The calculated use of social media where many donors participate, resulting in significant amounts, in a well-organized and wide-ranging attempt to collect extremist funding is challenge to the combined efforts by various organisations to thwart terror growth. While Kenyan security forces have been working together in the development of rigorous counter-terrorism policies to fight funding of mobile and online extremism, there has been little research on how effectively counter-terrorism methods are to deter Internet-based funding of terrorism activities. The competition between counterterrorism efforts and the expanding terrorism funding is a worrisome trend. The study aims to examine Al-Shabaab’s mobile and online funding schemes in Kenya, to evaluate the impact of Al-Shabaab’s mobile and online money funding schemes on counterterrorism measures in Kenya and to assess the counterterrorism strategies that can be used to prevent Al-Shabaab’s mobile and online money funding schemes in Kenya. The study will use the Identity Politics Theory to explain the relationship between terrorism funding scheme (mobile and online funding) and terrorism. The study will also use secondary data from library sources i.e. books, e-books, government publications, journals, magazines, and newspapers for content analysis. The study will be beneficial to security agencies, policy makers, the government and the Kenyan allies in the fight against terrorism. The research findings will help the security agencies to enhance their strategies by enacting policies that will require online payment platforms and Internet pages to develop stringent measures and report any suspicious activities. Also the Kenyan government and its allies will be able to enact policies that will restrict online money platforms from dealing with suspicious consumers, which will help prevent transfer of money across terrorist networks.