BORDER SURVEILLANCE STRATEGIES AND ITS EFFECTS ON INSECURITY IN KERIO VALLEY, KENYA
Keywords:
Security, Border Surveillance, Strategies, Kerio Valley, Disarmament, Border Patrols, Community Policing
Abstract
The study sought to determine the relationship between the border surveillance strategies and insecurity in the three counties of Kerio valley. West Pokot County, Elgeyo Marakwet and Baringo. The context along its borders have ben facing insecurity challenges for decades. The study adopted a mixed methods research design and collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data that were then presented thematically. A total target population of 230, and a sample of 133 was used, with an eventual response rate of 108. The results indicated that the independent variable(Border surveillance strategies) which included collaborations, intelligence gathering, utilization of peace committees, collaboration with community based organizations(CBO’S), Faith Based Organizations(FBO’S) AND NGOs, implementation of community policing , disarmament and border patrols all had a positive relationship to insecurity(R=0.731), where they accounted for 53.5% variation in the dependent variable with an adjusted R² of 0.518 denoting its stability in ensuring security. The study thus recommends that the government needs to adopt current upto date tech systems in the border surveillance.
References
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Schomerus, M., & de Vries, L. (2014). Improvising border security: A situation of security pluralism along South Sudan’s borders. Security Dialogue, 45(3), 279–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010614532156
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Świerczyńska, J. (2023). The importance of border surveillance and border traffic control at the eastern border of the Republic of Poland to the cross-border security of the European Union. Central European Review of Economics & Finance, 44(3), 153–174
Tawane, A. A. (2024). Banditry and insecurity in pastoral Kenya: A critical discourse. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.32628/IJSRST2411481
Africa Press. (2025). Murkomen reports recovery of 1,000 guns in Kerio Valley. https://www.africa-press.net/kenya/all-news/murkomen-reports-recovery-of-1000-guns-in-kerio-valley
Akenga, R., Morumbasi, K., & Handa, S. (2017). Border security management and state security: A case study of Kenya–Somalia border relations (1991–2017). Journal of African Studies
Akinyemi, A. A., & Danjibo, K. S. (2023). Border security governance and counterinsurgency in Nigeria’s Lake Chad region. African Security Review, 32(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/10246029.2023.2187654
Babanoski, K., & Ilijevski, I. (2025). Countering transnational crime on the Balkan route: The role of information sharing and cross-border investigations. Archibald Reiss Days Journal. https://eskup.kpu.edu.rs/dar/article/view/663
Bureš, O. (2016). Intelligence sharing and the fight against terrorism in the EU: Lessons learned from Europol. European View, 15(1), 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12290-016-0393-7
Elfversson, E. (2016). Peace from below: Governance and peacebuilding in Kerio Valley, Kenya. Journal of Modern African Studies, 54(3), 469–493.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X16000227
Greitens, S. C. (2022). Internal security and control in North Korea. International Security, 46(4), 79–120. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00433
https://shalomconflictcenter.org/from-valley-of-death-to-valley-of-peace-shalom-sccrrs-ongoing-transformative-interventions-in-kerio-valley
Juma, I. B., & Oyombra, G. (2024). Coordinated multi-agencies patrols and border security along the Kenya-Somalia border in Wajir County. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 4(5).https://www.multiresearchjournal.com/arclist/list-2024.4.5/id-3322
Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis. (2024). Banditry and lawlessness in arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya: Which way out? https://kippra.or.ke
Kipchumba, B. J. (2019). An analysis of local dynamics in conflicts over use of natural resources in the Marakwet–Pokot border region of Kerio Valley, Kenya. University of Nairobi Repository. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/10944
Kipchumba, H. E. (2023). The Dynamics of Perennial Insecurity along the Kerio Valley Region, Kenya. The African International University Biennial International Conference 2023, Nairobi, Kenya 24-26 October
Kisang, J. K., & Kipchumba, H. (2024). Effect of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons on insecurity in the Kerio Valley region, Kenya. Reviewed Journal of Social Science & Humanities, 7(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.61426/rjssh.v7i1.498
Kuria, M. Z. (2022). Resources and performance in border security: A study of Border Police Unit in the National Police Service, Kenya. Kenyatta University Repository. http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/2461
Malinda, C. (2024). Assessment of cross-border security on economic development in the East African Community: A case of Busia border. Daystar University
Malinda, C. M., & Musya, J. K. (2025). Cross-border security in Kenya: The case of Busia border. Jumuga Journal of Education, Oral Studies, and Human Sciences, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.35544/jjeoshs.v8i120
Mkutu, K. (2008). Disarmament in Karamoja, northern Uganda: Is this a solution for localised violent inter- and intra-communal conflict? The Round Table, 97(394), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/00358530701844718
Morral, A. R., & Willis, H. H. (2010). Measuring the effectiveness of border security between ports of entry. RAND Corporation
Murkomen, P. K. (2025). Drivers of banditry and its effect on household economic stability in Kerio Valley, Kenya. Journal of Family, Humanities and Social Sciences
Musau, B. M. (2016). Rethinking disarmament in the Horn of Africa: A comparison of initiatives in Kenya and Uganda. University of Nairobi Repository. https://hdl.handle.net/11295/98772
Musau, D. M., Ichani, F. X., & Mulu, F. (2023). Assessment of banditry, cattle rustling and insecurity nexus in North West Kenya. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 7(4), 132–148
Mwakangale, L. J., & Rwabishugi, L. (2024). Enhancing national security: Integrated border management strategies at the Namanga border in Arusha Tanzania. The Accountancy and Business Review, 16(2), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.59645/abr.v16i2.197
Oyosi, E. O. (2024). Security measures and border security at Namanga One Stop Border Post, Kajiado County, Kenya. Kenyatta University Repository. https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/29695
Pullan, W. (2022). The West Bank barrier and the politics of separation. Journal of Borderlands Studies, 37(4), 879–897. https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2021.1912017
Schomerus, M., & de Vries, L. (2014). Improvising border security: A situation of security pluralism along South Sudan’s borders. Security Dialogue, 45(3), 279–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010614532156
Shalom Centre for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation. (2025). From valley of death to valley of peace: SCCRR interventions in Kerio Valley.
Silberstein, B. K., & Green, C. (2023). North Korea’s COVID-19 border lockdown: Economic and security implications. 38 North Report. https://www.38north.org/2023/02/north-koreas-border-lockdown
Sowa, K. (2025). Enforcing the line: An ethnography of the Kenyan border regime. Springer
Świerczyńska, J. (2023). The importance of border surveillance and border traffic control at the eastern border of the Republic of Poland to the cross-border security of the European Union. Central European Review of Economics & Finance, 44(3), 153–174
Tawane, A. A. (2024). Banditry and insecurity in pastoral Kenya: A critical discourse. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.32628/IJSRST2411481
