Organized Criminal Gangs and Security in the Public Transport Sector in Embakasi, Nairobi County, Kenya
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Date
2024-10
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
The public transport sector in urban areas in Africa plays a significant role in transporting people from one point to another. In spite of these the sector has faced challenges of control by organized criminal gangs. This happens in spite of measures taken by government to bring order to the sector. This study has examined organized criminal groups and security in the public transport sector in Emabakasi, Nairobi County, Kenya. Three objectives were formulated for this study. To begin with, this study examined the factors that influence the emergence of OCGs in the public transport sector in Embakasi. Second, this study assessed how the operations of OCGs in the public transport sector contribute to insecurity in Embakasi . Finally, the effectiveness of strategies put in place by the government of Kenya to counter the operations of OCGs in the public transport sector Embakasi was evaluated. This study was anchored on two complementary theories namely; the ungoverned spaces theory and the relative deprivation theory. The ungoverned spaces theory argued that the state's incapacity to control violence on its area of jurisdiction gives room to the emergence of OCGs. Based on relative deprivation theory this study has demonstrate how young people who have been relatively deprived from economic and social benefits of society express feelings of discontent and resentment by joining the growing number of criminal gangs in the area. This study took the form of exploratory research design. Both primary and secondary sources of data collection were employed. A field interview of 100 respondents was selected using purposive and snow balling sampling techniques. These included; current and former members of OCGs, informal transport operators, residents, security agencies and security experts. Data collected was analyzed and interpreted qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings of this study indicated that the public transport sector has been vulnerable to control and capture by organized criminal gangs. The study attributed the rise of OCGs to the inability of the government to fully govern the public transport sector where criminal gangs operate. Secondly it was noted that it was noted that the operations of OGGs has contributed to insecurity in Embakasi, In competition for money collected from transport operators, rival gangs have in many occasions clashed violently resulting in serious injuries, deaths and compromising the general security situation. Lastly, it was noted that although government has put up legislations and acts to contain OCGs, there was lack of good will and commitment from the authorities to combat OCGs in Embakasi. This study recommended that to curb the operations of OCGs in the informal transport sector in Kenya, the state must assert its authority in all sectors under its territory.
Description
Research Project Presented to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment for the Award of A Masters Degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution of Kenyatta University, October 2024.
Supervisor
Isaiah Oduor Otieno