Addressing Rising Insecurity in Kenya

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the drivers of rising insecurity and terror attacks in Kenya, specifically those attributed to Al-Shabaab. The authors argue that addressing the crisis requires a combination of regional cooperation to curb arms proliferation, increased intelligence gathering with civilian support, and the mitigation of socio-economic grievances such as youth unemployment and marginalisation.

• Since October 2011, Kenya has experienced an increase in terror attacks, primarily attributed to Somalia's Al-Shabaab, characterized by the use of small arms, light weapons, hand grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Notable incidents include a bombing in Nairobi city centre on 28 May and attacks on two churches in Garissa on 1 July, where 17 people were killed and over 40 wounded.
• Arms proliferation in Kenya is driven by porous borders and instability in neighbouring countries, particularly Somalia. The authors assert that internal efforts to stop the flow of weapons cannot succeed without peace and stability in the surrounding region.
• The threat is compounded by the 'weaponisation' of everyday products, such as fertiliser, and the availability of radicalising manuals and DIY IED instructions on the internet, which allow non-professionals to carry out attacks.
• The sporadic nature of attacks and the targeting of places of worship make it difficult for security agencies to anticipate threats and risk inciting inter-religious revenge cycles. Consequently, the authors recommend a regionalised response to pool expertise and increased intelligence gathering that leverages civilian support.
• State deficit in security provision, infrastructure, and resource distribution outside of major centres like Nairobi has contributed to extremism. To counter this, the authors suggest that national action plans must prioritise socio-economic drivers, including youth unemployment and community marginalisation, through inclusive development.

APA

Ndungu, I., & Atta-Asamoah, A. (n.d.). Addressing Rising Insecurity in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/addressing-rising-insecurity-in-kenya

Chicago

Ndungu, Irene, and Andrews Atta-Asamoah. Addressing Rising Insecurity in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/addressing-rising-insecurity-in-kenya.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ndungu |first1=Irene |last2=Atta-Asamoah |first2=Andrews |title=Addressing Rising Insecurity in Kenya |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/addressing-rising-insecurity-in-kenya |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ndungundaddressing, author = {Ndungu, Irene and Atta-Asamoah, Andrews}, title = {{Addressing Rising Insecurity in Kenya}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/addressing-rising-insecurity-in-kenya}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }