United States Aid to Kenya: A Study on Regional Security and Counterterrorism Assistance Before and After 9/11

Abstract

Following 9/11 and the beginning of the global War on Terror, it became obvious that the United States needed an ally in East Africa. Kenya, a country that has remained relatively stable while surrounded by regional insecurities, was chosen by the U.S. as an African ally to which large sums of aid and resources would be sent. United States assistance to Kenya is largely given for developmental and humanitarian purposes but millions of dollars each year are directed specifically towards regional security and anti-terrorism. This observational paper highlights the differences in U.S. aid to Kenya before and after 2001. Using analyses of secondary resources, this article offers details of the economic measures, training initiatives, and legislative steps taken by the United States government, as well as subsequent Kenyan criticisms, to form the present-day relationship that ensures Americas hegemonic presence in East Africa. Kenya itself has been the victim of two large-scale terrorist incidents: the first in 1998 and the second in 2002. It is important to note that the 2002 Kikambala hotel attack, while severe in nature, targeted Israel and is not directly relevant to this article. In addition, the effects of the attack on U.S. counterterrorism policy are largely unknown and therefore, excluded from consideration in this article.