This fact sheet provides a snapshot of conclusions from a Policy Note produced as part of RESOLVE's Local Peacebuilding Initiative (LPBI). This policy note explores the characteristics of community-based armed groups (CBAGs) unique to the Kenyan context through a comparison of local CBAGs with other nonstate armed groups, particularly violent extremist organizations (VEOs). In doing so, it introduces the concept of territoriality—the degree to which government and security agents are able to monopolize political, social, and security control of spaces—and suggests that both CBAGs and VEOs are most likely to thrive in Kenya under conditions of semi-territoriality, where state authority sometimes shifts fluidly from strong to weak depending on capacity or interest.

 

To learn more about the author's findings and recommendations, please refer to the RESOLVE Policy Note by Clifford Collins Omondi Okwany: Territoriality as a Method for Understanding Armed Groups in Kenya and Strengthening Policy Responses (2023).