Kenya Entangled in Proscribed Crimes of Terrorism and Violations of Human Rights Law

The Republic of Kenya is one of the youngest African States emerging from British Colonial power since 1963. Since then it has been caught up in series of terrorist attacks claiming damages and harms to civilians. As the State tends to comply with its international law obligations a number of issues are being raised especially from human rights law whether the government has acted within the law and in good faith. This research investigates the legality of terrorism and counter reactions emerging from the State authority. serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a Government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act". Later that year, the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change described terrorism as any action that is "intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants, when the purpose of such an act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a Government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act" and identified a number of key elements, with further reference to the definitions contained in the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and Security