In October 2011, the Kenyan government sent troops to Somalia under Operation ‘Linda Nchi‘ (Protect the Country). Aiming to create a security buffer zone, the intervention followed armed attacks and the abduction of foreign nationals in Kenya. However, the country continues to face the threat of armed attacks by extremist groups, particularly in Kenya’s northeast and coastal regions, as well as in Nairobi. 

On 27 July 2016, the Rift Valley Forum and International Alert hosted a forum to discuss the findings of a study which analyses risk factors of violent extremism in six neighbourhoods in Nairobi and Mombasa. Conducted by International Alert and the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, the study’s key objective is to understand the factors that have made communities in Kenya vulnerable or resilient to violent extremism.

The research surveyed the socio-political and economic landscape through which violent extremism in Kenya has either been rejected or accepted in order to create an evidence-base for preventive programming.
 

Moderator

Rashid Abdi 
International Crisis Group
 

Panellists

Patrick Miller 
Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance

Ngala Chome 
Researcher 

Sheikh Yusuf Maki
Imam

Siyama Ismail
Community Leader -Eastleigh

Abdullahi Boru
Amnesty International