ISSN 2360-7998
Abstract: This study examined the impact of Civil Society Groups on preventing violent extremism in Kenya. The rise of Violent Extremism and terrorism in Kenya has now created severe security threats, as this phenomenon has resulted in deaths, destruction, and instability. It is based on this understating that the study intended to rally policymakers and academia on the contribution of community organisations in preventing violent extremism. This research employed both the Soft Power Theory and the Contemporary Deterrence Theory, which refers to the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity among members of a given community. The amount of social capital a community possesses, which can deter vices like crime, terrorism, and violent extremism that threaten community cohesion, is a clear indicator of social cohesion. This research employed a case study as a research design. This research concludes that Civil Society Groups have been playing numerous roles in the eradication of terrorism and curbing its menace around the world. In most cases, community groups partner with security agencies to obtain and release relevant information that will give a clue to tackling the most unfortunate nagging problem in society. This paper recommends that different approaches should be employed by CBG, some of which include awareness creation against terrorism, which is the awareness approach, the damnation approach, the motivation approach, the appraise approach, which assesses the performance of the security agents in such a way that they do not affect ordinary citizens, the rehabilitation approach-process of giving aid to those who suffer from the act of terror, the partnership approach, and the and the indoctrination approach, which is the process of transforming and reintegrating the terrorists into society.
Keywords: Terrorism, Deterrence, Civil Society, Extremism, Youths, Radicalization