Implications of Organized Crime on Urban Areas of Kenya: a Case of Kayole Estate in Nairobi City County

Abstract

The rising incidents of organized crime in Nairobi City County, like in many other urban areas, keep on raising serious security concerns among the residents. Yet, the dynamics of these emerging typologies of crime on urban safety remain largely unclear. The main objective of this study was to understand the implications of organized crime on urban areas of Kenya, with specific focus on Kayole estate in Nairobi City County. Specific study objectives included to find out the determinant factors for the emergence and persistence of organized crime, establish the effect of organized crime on the livelihoods of urban residents, understand how urban communities respond to the phenomenon of organized crime, and find out some of the challenges faced by urban residents in resolving the problem of organized crime. The study adopted descriptive research design and target residents of Soweto in Kayole estate and key informants who involved senior police officers, local administrators, youth leaders, religious leaders, civil society groups, and business community. A sample of 384 respondents was selected through purposive and systematic sampling techniques and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and key informant interview guide. Both of the research instruments were tested for validity and reliability before being used in the field for collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive data analysis with the help of SPSS computer software and presented using tables while qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form. The findings of the study revealed that there were a number of organized criminal gangs in Kayole estate and its surroundings, such as Yakuza, Gaza, Mungiki, Kamanzira, Smarter, Chini ya Maji, and Bagdad Boyz among others. Some of the factors that contributed to the existence and persistence of organized criminal groups in Kayole included police inaction and laxity, police collusion with criminals, parental protection of their criminal children, and too much idleness by the youth due to lack of constructive work or employment, and lack of recreational facilities for keeping the unemployed youth engaged. Presence and persistence of criminal groups had affected the residents’ livelihoods in various ways. These included landlords incurring extra costs for security purposes and people having to report to work late for fear of being attacked when leaving their houses very early in the morning. Other prominent members of the community had also been extorted and forced to pay bribes for personal and business protection. There were also other levies that were imposed by criminal groups such as water connection, electricity connection, transport/stage, construction, security fee, personal and business protection, as well as relocation fee among other illegal charges. The study recommended the need for enhanced government-public cooperation and government’s creation of job opportunities for the idling youth as some of the approaches for addressing organized crime in urban informal settlements.