Teachers’ attitudes towards surveillance in Kenyan secondary schools

This article examines how teachers in Kenya understand and respond to emerging expectations that they should detect and report signs of radicalization among students. The study combines documentary analysis of key policy and legal frameworks, including the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, with semi-structured interviews with teachers and experts in secular and Islamic-integrated schools in Nairobi (2018–2019). The findings show that teachers largely question the legitimacy of monitoring students. Many express concern about misidentification, difficult teacher–student relations and a limited safe space in the classroom, while a minority view reporting as an acceptable extension of their duty of care. In a context marked by religious and ethnic polarization, school-based monitoring risks deepening stigma, particularly towards Muslim and Somali students, and may undermine inclusive and dialogic approaches to prevention.