Kenya faces immense security challenges in new year

Kenya is facing significant threats from without its borders as well as from within. During 2013 and 2014, the Government expanded the domestic security role of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) initially to supplement paramilitary elements of the National Police Service (NPS) but increasingly seeming to replace the disorganised, understrength, under-equipped and badly trained Administration Police (APs).

By using the KDF as a sort of internal fire brigade to fill the widening gaps in domestic law and order the Government is unaccountably delaying the full implementation of the National Police Service Act, 2011 despite allocating funds in excess of $1.2 billion for internal security; failure to recruit new police personnel will further exacerbate problems of domestic insecurity well into 2016 as numbers of uniformed officers continue to drop due to normal attrition, casualties suffered during operations against criminals or involving terrorist attacks.