Most organized criminal groups operate in countries with little or no economic opportunities. These illicit organised criminal gangs find fertile grounds in countries with weak and corrupt governments and where the rule of law is lacking and possibly going through war or experiencing other social order and political conflicts. There is a strong relationship between organized crime and political corruption.
To combat the threat of illicit criminal gangs, Kenya first and foremost needs to solve the issue of morale in the police force.
Kenya police have a right to decent pay, housing, and training. The department of higher education ought to undertake realistic education reform that puts Kenya national security as a top priority. Here is how; Kenyan policymakers can shape the changing role in training need for police officers. Kenyan public universities ought to introduce certificate, diploma, degree and graduate studies in criminal justice.
As Kenya deals with literacy, well trained and groomed police recruits should at minimum possess a certificate qualifications in criminal justice studies. As Kenya progress economically, police recruits should climb one more ladder and at this time require that they have a mandatory qualification of diploma in criminal justice before they can get a node from a recruiter for employment in the police force.
Police reforms are not the only solution to combating crime in the community, Kenyan government needs to compliment police work with private security sector partnership. Despite being one of the most developed countries in Africa, Kenya lags behind in private security sector.
Uganda is the best case study of where armed guards compliment police work. Uganda has relatively few cases of illicit criminal gangs and crime because security guards can carry arms. Kenya has a major trust issue when it comes to issuing arms to security firms.
Here is the solution, security firms can handle firm arms but those weapons should be entrusted to the retired military personnel and police officers. Kenya can lawfully mandate security firms to hire retired service members with exemplary records to work for them.
Fire arms can for a start be signed to 10 percent of the private security work force. This brings me to the second issue of retired service members. Whereas other countries compel companies to hire veterans, Kenya remains numb in this endeavor.
United States Federal Contractor Program requires that any contractor receiving a contract from the federal government in the amount of $25,000 or more, or any subcontractor receiving a contract in the amount of $25,000 or more from such a covered contractor must file a VETS-100 Report on an annual basis.
In addition, any federal contractor or subcontractor is also required to take affirmative action to hire and promote qualified special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era and any veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized.
Besides mandating the hiring of veterans, United States federal government hires veterans in addition to training them during the transition from military to civilian workforce. Kenya is known to be a champion of development, innovation, and sports, let Kenya be an example to true reforms in fighting illicit criminal gangs and the threat of terrorism.
The author is a graduate of masters in Homeland Security from Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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