| dc.description.abstract | Urban security remains a perennial problem globally. Kenya in particular has faced the challenge of inadequate security in its towns. Quite often, neighborhood groups have emerged to take advantage of these security lapses through vigilantism. Ordinarily, vigilante activities border on criminality despite the acceptability they sometimes enjoy from the locals they purport to protect. The Government of Kenya enacted the Prevention of Organized Crime Act of 2010 and 2012 that proscribes vigilante groups. The prohibition, however, has not deterred these groups. Consequently, Kisumu City has over the years witnessed high levels of insecurity occasioned by the emergence and entrenchment of vigilante groups. According to Crime Statistics Economic Survey report of 2015, the City has continued to experience heightened insecurity instigated by vigilante groups. This study, therefore, purposed to investigate the activities of vigilante groups since 1986 and to elucidate how these groups have affected security in Kisumu City. Specifically, the study sought to: establish the historical background of vigilantism in Kisumu City since 1986; describe the activities of the vigilante groups in Kisumu City; and to explain the inter-connections between state and non-state actors in providing security in Kisumu. The study adopted Bjorn Moller’s (2003) interpretation and perspective on Conflict Theory, by which he asserts that conflict occurs at various levels based on social, economic and political structures in a society. The major tenets of the theory are marginalization, poverty, and inequality. The study made use of historical descriptive design to investigate and analyze the phenomenon under study. Purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were used to identify Key Informants for the study. The study area was Kisumu City, with a total population of 285,412. The target population was 55 respondents. Primary data was collected through Key Informant Interview Guide (11), In-Depth-Interview Guide (11) and Focus Group Discussion (33). Secondary data was collected from library research and archival reports. Data analysis involved both document and content analysis. The findings revealed that vigilante groups in Kisumu City specifically the Baghdad Boys emerged in 1986 as a result of state security failure, unemployment, ethnic animosity, economic hardships and political marginalization. Consequently, the period in the late 1980s, leading to the repeal of section 2A of the Kenyan constitution in order to allow multipartism explains the resurgence of vigilante groups and vigilantism in Kisumu. Particularly, this study deduced that KANU’s struggle to retain power and its several years of establishing a repressive system of governance left Kisumu politicians with no option but to co-opt vigilante groups into their political mobilization and other activities as they faced state sponsored violence and police brutality in what was publicly considered as a melting pot for opposition politics. The study further established that vigilante groups evolved from neighborhood groups to political movements and, eventually, to criminal gangs. It ascertained that vigilante groups in Kisumu City depicted organized recruitment procedures and hierarchical structures, and engaged in various political, social and economic activities. In retrospect, this study pointed to a symbiotic relationship between the police and vigilante groups, confirming the general public perception by majority of Kisumu residents that vigilante groups thrived and continued to perpetuate their criminal activities by conspiring with a number of rogue police officers of all ranks. The study concluded that failure by State agencies to address security concerns and the socio-economic needs of City residents contributed to the formation and development of vigilante groups. The study recommended police reforms and an integrated approach to security in Kisumu City. It also advocated for the enactment of legislations to curb insecurity in Kisumu City and other urban areas as a way of minimizing or completely eliminating vigilantism that continues to endanger the security of citizens and leads to repression of democratic idreals within the locality. A reflection on the findings and analysis from this study signals to an enrichment of knowledge that is available on urban security from the angle of the emergence and growth of vigilantism and the intricacies of urban (in) security as a key governance issue. | en_US |
