ICC Note: Kenya is planning to build a prison exclusively for offenders and detainees suspected of terrorism that come from extremist ideologies such as members of al-Shabaab. The government’s goal stands to prevent radicals from influencing the general prison population as a counter-terrorism measure. Al-Shabaab has become the primary persecuting threat to the Church in Kenya, having self-consciously levied attacks against Christians, singling brothers and sisters out for murder. No better example exists than the April 2015 massacre at Garissa University College where gunmen separated Christians from Muslims and slaughtered 148 people, mostly believers.

2/17/16 Kenya (BBC) – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta says he will set up a new special prison for violent extremist offenders.

The facility would prevent jihadists from spreading their extremist ideology to the rest of society, he said.

The country’s anti-terror law allows security forces to detain people suspected of terrorist activities for a long period without charge.

Kenya is battling home-grown militants linked to Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda.

In 2011, Kenyan troops entered neighbouring Somalia in an effort to stop the jihadists from carrying cross border attacks and kidnapping people.

…