Assessing Kenya’s Role in the Restoration of Peace in Somalia

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Arts & Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in International RelationsSince the advent of the civil strife in 1991 after Barre’s regime was overthrown, numerous peace initiatives have been initiated in attempts to stabilize Somalia. Nevertheless, these initiatives faced various challenges generated internally and externally hence the success limitations. However, the Kenyan intervention to Somalia “Operation Linda Nchi” that was initiated in October 2011 has since bore fruits in peace restoration inside Somalia. This study research seeks to access the roles played by Kenya in restoration of peace in Somalia. This has been done by analyzing various theories such as the war and peacekeeping theories. This study further determines whether Kenya’s 2011 military interventions to Somalia are justifiable under the international legal framework and international moral and ethical norms. This study also examines the previous interventions made by the UN and US in the early years and examine how the two influence and affect the Kenyan peace building activities in Somalia