The two case studies picked for this chapter illustrate the extent to which religion has been employed as a tool to threaten the security of the nations, with multiple ripple effects. The chapter analyses the security threats posed by terror groups, a case in point, the al-Shabaab in Kenya and Somalia. The analysis is aimed at showing how the extremist groups operate, given the political and economic climate of the two countries. Implicit within this theoretical analysis is the effects of the violent activities, and the embedded intersectional characteristics of extremism. This angle will enable the chapter explore the racial and tribal factors involved. The chapter further explores ways in which, especially the governments of Kenya has handled the insecurities resulting from the activities of the group. The argument made is that the militaristic approach to violent extremism has only attracted the use of propaganda by the extremists, such as marginalization of certain ethnic communities. Members of such communities, especially the youth then find “refuge” in joining the extremist movements. The chapter also argues that the approaches used by the government have been met with harsh criticisms. The chapter therefore proposes some desired models for enhancing security in Kenya and Somalia, and in general, the Horn of Africa. The chapter encourages a pragmatic pedagogy that borrows across development practitioners and models developed in the recent past, especially those that speak to preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE).