This edited book presents new research and examines perspectives, of predominantly local academics and researchers, of how community development responses might effectively address violent and hateful extremism (VHE) in Kenya. By adopting an expanded definition of violent extremism that encompasses hate speech and other forms of hate, the book investigates the interconnectedness of various forms of conflict and social harm with violent extremism, and explores community development approaches that might counter and help prevent them. It examines context-specific strategies tailored to the unique socio-political landscape of Kenya, highlighting good practices, failures, and key lessons learned from civil society organisation (CSO)-led initiatives. The book promotes multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches, emphasising the importance of partnerships between CSOs, government agencies, and other stakeholders. It contributes to academic, practice, and policy debates on locally-led and context-specific development responses to extremism, providing empirically grounded insights and theoretical reflections to inform decisions at local, national, and international levels. As such, the book will be a valuable resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working to promote peace and resilience in Kenya, as well as other extremism- and conflict-affected regions.

Leanne Kelly is a pracademic in the fields of humanitarianism, development, and evaluation studies within NGOs. Her research focuses on evaluation of civil society organisations' responses to crises including disasters, conflict, and violent extremism. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on a 4-year ARC Linkage project led by A/Prof Anthony Ware and Prof Greg Barton exploring appropriate humanitarian-development NGO responses to preventing/countering violent extremism in Asia and Africa. She is also the National Evaluation Advisor at the Australian Red Cross.

Rahma Ramadhan a lawyer and researcher in the field of security governance and has led complex research initiatives on counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE), collaborating with both international and national organisations. Based in Kenya, she has provided advice to development partners and government agencies on security issues and has consulted for Saferworld and UN Women among other entities. Currently, as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS) in Nairobi, she leads P/CVE research and programming in Kenya. Rahma has published on terrorism, violent extremism, and accountability and has conducted pioneering studies on the role of private security in countering violent extremism in Kenya. Rahma studies Law at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dave Husy is Managing Director and principal for Developlan, a strategy intelligence and analytics company. He has over 35 years’ experience in humanitarian and development practice and analysis in complex and fragile environments, with an interest in community peacebuilding. Dr Husy is also adjunct Associate Professor at Deakin University.