- The data said that of the 77 reported attacks, close to 50 per cent were targeted at security officials.
- Incidents targeting security officials have been on an upward trend for the past five years.
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Attacks linked to al Shabaab in Kenya increased by 26 per cent in 2022.
This is according to a report released by the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies.
The number of terror-related attacks over the past year stood at 77 up from 51 reported in 2021.
The attacks in 2022 resulted in 116 fatalities.
This is a 16 per cent increase compared to the one hundred recorded in 2021.
Of those reported dead in 2022, the majority were civilians where 42 people were killed.
Other casualties were 38 suspected al-Shabaab militants, 35 Kenyan security officials and one government official.
These attacks were concentrated in four counties, which are near the Kenya-Somalia border.
Mandera was the most affected county with 37 terror-related incidents.
Lamu county recorded the second-highest number of occurrences at 21 followed by 19 in Garissa and 9 in Wajir counties.
The data, which is derived from the CHRIPS Terror Attacks and Arrests Observatory, further revealed that of the 77 reported attacks, close to 50 per cent were targeted at security officials.
Incidents targeting security officials have been on an upward trend for the past five years.
In 2018 and 2019, 16 attacks were recorded as directed towards security officials.
This number rose sharply to 41 in 2020. There was a marked decrease in 2021 when only 24 incidents were captured.
The CHRIPS observatory in 2022 has documented 33 attacks targeting security officials.
“While security officials and counter-terror bodies in the country are to be commended for the increased measures put in place to counter violent extremism in Kenya, the Observatory data shows that al-Shabaab continues to pose a threat as the frequency of terror-related attacks has increased over the year, largely targeting security officials primarily on transit or on patrol by the use of various explosive devices,” CHRIPS researcher Rahma Ramadhan said.
Although there was an increase in attacks, only 29 people were arrested in the period under review.
The largest number of arrests took place in Garissa county where nine people were arrested on suspicion of terror activities.
Unlike the previous year, in 2022 terror-related arrests were recorded in Nyeri, Narok, Kwale, Tana River, Lamu and Laikipia counties.
The area has been facing security challenges with al-Shabaab militants targeting security vehicles and some villages.
The terrorists are targeting, among others, projects such as the Lapsset port and road.