Most Kenyans view Al-Shabaab as an ‘extremely high’ security threat

Two thirds of Kenyans consider Al-Shabaab an “extremely high” security threat, while only a third believe the group was responsible for the Mpeketoni attacks.

A new survey also shows that both supporters of Jubilee and Cord believe the terrorist group was “most responsible” for the attacks in Lamu County, where more than 100 people were killed.

Also, twice as many Jubilee supporters hold “local political networks” responsible for the Mpeketoni attacks as do those for Cord.

The survey, released by Ipsos Kenya on Friday, cited insecurity as one of the most serious problems currently facing Kenya, second to the high cost of living.

“As in the past, only a minority of victims of crime (42 per cent) reported to the police, with a solid majority (60 per cent) completely dissatisfied with the response they receive.

“Indeed, this high level of dissatisfaction may explain why more crime victims do not report such incidents,” says the report.

INTERNATIONAL FORCE

Surprisingly, 28 per cent of Kenyans are aware of the presence of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia as part of an international force to rid the country of Al-Shabaab militants.

A third of those who are aware of KDF’s presence in Somalia believe this will lead to a reduction in crime and terrorist attacks in Kenya.

One in every three people interviewed during the survey said they thought KDF’s presence in Somalia would only lead to an increase in terrorist attacks back home.

When asked whether they had heard of any Muslim clerics who had been killed in the last year or two, 36 per cent of the respondents said they were not aware of such killings.

Among those aware of any Muslim clerics killed, 79 per cent knew about the killing of Sheikh Shariff Abubakar (Makaburi).