This research sought to examine the role of a multi-agency security approach in promoting national security in the case of northern Kenya. Specifically, the study assessed the operational and structural framework of the multiagency framework integrated in northern Kenya and the effectiveness of the new security strategy. The findings of the research acknowledge that Kenya’s security approach has over time transformed from a “single-handed” or single-agency approach to a multi-agency approach that involves the integration of diverse security actors who work as a team to enforce internal security and protection of the country from external aggression. Owing to the complexity of contemporary conflicts, including terrorism and banditry, and the rising role of human rights organizations, the traditional approach to securitization that involved the use of brute force and enhanced police presence, as evidenced by the Wagalla Massacre, has to some extent waned. Recent trends in the country’s securitization, as evidenced by the Lamu security response and Northern Kenya, have involved the integration of Multi-Agency Teams as a response mechanism to addressing the region’s insecurities. While arguing in support of the integration of the multi-institutional security approach, the article proposes to enhance collaboration among security stakeholders, a condition that is very critical to addressing security issues. Through qualitative analysis premised on key informant interviews and reviews of secondary data, the essay paper also proposes that stakeholders should intensify civil-military relations, as it provides public-centered securitization, and this may boost the country’s public trust in security agencies, hence easing intelligence gathering. The article also considers the approach as very critical because it brings together actors or stakeholders of diverse capabilities and expertise, an element that is central to harnessing security operations. This article concludes by reinforcing the need for the government of Kenya to fully support the integration of a multiagency security approach in handling security matters not only in the northern region but in Kenya at large. The findings of this essay augment already existing pieces of literature that support and criticize the integration of a multi-institutional security approach in Kenya. The paper’s findings can therefore serve as a tool for policy formulation and academic purposes.
Fred Jonyo (Thu,) studied this question.