Religious Sectarian Extremism in Kenya : A Background Assessment of the Kilifi County

Abstract

Kenya’s battle against violent extremism, primarily focused on Islamist terrorism since the 1998 Nairobi bombing, has seen significant counterterrorism progress over the past two decades. However, extremism remains a pervasive social and security issue, necessitating systematic, research-based policy action. This became starkly evident after the 2023 Shakahola cult tragedy, where over 400 lives were lost. This study examines religious sectarian extremism in Kenya, with a focus on Kilifi County from 2010 to 2024, a region marked by heightened extremism, including terrorism, mob killings of the elderly, and the Shakahola tragedy. It evaluates the impact of regulatory frameworks on the relationship between religious sectarian extremism and community security and analyzes strategies to mitigate the threats posed by religious sectarian extremism. The study applies the theory of violent extremist religious sects (VERSs) to contextualize the issue. A descriptive research design was used, collecting data from 384 respondents through structured questionnaires for quantitative analysis (using means and standard deviations) and semi-structured interviews with sixteen key informants for thematic qualitative analysis. Findings reveal that religious sectarian extremism in Kilifi County and Kenya manifests through religious divisions, conflicts driven by differing theological worldviews among leaders, destruction of worship sites, and discrimination based on religious differences. It also appears as emerging cults and extreme acts like mass suicides, killings, verbal and physical attacks, and hatred. To address this, the study recommends a government-led religious literacy campaign and a robust legal framework to regulate religious institutions.