An indigenous African framework for counterterrorism: decolonising Kenya’s approach to countering “Al-Shabaab-ism”

ABSTRACT

The terrorism discourse in the Kenyan context dates back to the colonial and post-colonial years with the country having suffered its most devastating terrorist attacks in the period since 1998. Despite a series of dreadful experiences, it was not until 9/11 that the country’s counterterrorism discourse took a serious upward trajectory. This was after Kenya’s elevation by her Western allies as an “anchor” state in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). This development illustrates how Kenya’s security architecture is hugely dependent on Western counterterrorism frameworks, strategies, and at times, security priorities. In this regard, the existing counterterrorism frameworks not only perpetuate colonial continuities but also neglect the national contextual peculiarities. This article, thus, explores how Western constructions of terrorism permeate Kenya’s counterterrorism, and deny subaltern actors the opportunity to participate in developing intervention priorities and owning the strategies. Our analysis of the explicit knowledge predispositions between Western and the local constructions of counterterrorism, consequently, suggest some parallels between colonial continuities and the state-owned interventions. We, therefore, seek to deconstruct the universality of knowledge on counterterrorism, and argue for increased recognition and inclusion of indigenous African counterterrorism approaches which have been obscured from mainstream knowledge systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Decolonisation
• indigenous
• counterterrorism
• African framework
• Kenya

Acknowledgments

This article has been developed from the shared research gap by the two authors in their doctoral theses research. We therefore acknowledge our advisors, all of whose feedback has been crucial. The views expressed herein, however, exclusively belong to the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Samwel Oando

Samwel Oando is a PhD candidate at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago. He is a Kenyan and recipient of the University of Otago Scholarship, researching on “Space for African Women in Tackling Violent Extremism”. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Peace and Development Network (PeaceNet) in Kenya, and UWIANO Platform, both of which inform his previous work and research experience as well as his choice of Ph.D. research topic. His research interests explore promoting equal opportunities in peacebuilding and enhancing capacity for countering major security threats in the complex African contexts.

Shirley Achieng’

Shirley Gabriella Achieng’ is a Kenyan national and current New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarship Ph.D. student of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago - National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Her academic background is in Political Science and International Relations, specializing in Diplomacy & Foreign Policy. Her professional background is in policy drafting and interpretation of Statutory instruments, having worked with the legislative arm of the Nairobi County Government. Her research interest focuses on the development of an African Indigenous Approach to counterterrorism.