Influence of Multi-agency Cooperation on Kenya’s National Security, 2002-2022

Changing societal, economic, and political times continue to herald new realities to the national safety and security of nations. To address the security challenges and threats that emerge there because, nations have had to adopt contemporary perspectives. One of the most common and fruitful of these perspectives - in the Kenyan national security setup, is that of multi-agency cooperation (MAC). However, the country lacks a unitary regulatory framework to guide the operationalization of such cooperative undertakings. This descriptive and cross-sectional inquiry examined the collaboration of multiple agencies in the management of national security concerns within Kenya, as well as the enabling tools and approaches thereto. The study sought the input of 111 high-level participants drawn from the National Security Organizations (NSOs) within Kenya through the snowballing sampling procedure. From their feedback, the study established that MAC in Kenya is determined by a host of factors including: trends in crime and criminology; resource constraints amongst agencies; and the sheer number of operators within the national security sector. The study also established that existing gaps in training and capability of each agency/service, the variations in institutional realities and expertise, and the existence of political goodwill also support MAC in Kenya’s national security environment. Data from the study indicates that MAC in Kenya is characterized by the sharing of information/intelligence, attempts at capacity building, and greater pursuit of resource sharing amongst line agencies. Similarly, multi-agency cooperation in Kenya is also characterized by the coordination of interventions and collaborative operations. During the study, it also emerged that MAC in Kenya is structured at the cabinet level, but also often takes the peer-to-peer collaboration approach. Other formats of MAC include the in-group approach, and the outsider-insider approach. Finally, the research confirmed the presence of specific legal, policy, and institutional frameworks that guide and enable MAC within Kenya. At its conclusion, the study proposes the adoption of the BOIT model, an approach to multi-agency cooperation that involves blending outsider insights and techniques, as a way of enhancing operational effectiveness and outcomes. In particular, the study lobbies for the establishment of a Multi-Agency Steering Authority (MASC) as the core driver of the BOIT model. The proposed committee would be domiciled under the NSC.
Keywords: Multi-Agency Cooperation (MAC), National Security, Violent Extremism, Collaborative Framework, Deterrent Measures, Counter-Terrorism, National Security Organizations (NSOs), Multi Agency Steering Committee (MASC).